


the morning will come again

by sieges



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Courtesan!Sasuke, Courtesans, Founders Week Day 2: AUs, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Naruto Founders Week 2019, Pining, Warring States Period (Naruto), ocs are from the brothel sasuke stays in, pining!tobirama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-10 01:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19897765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sieges/pseuds/sieges
Summary: Hashirama’s laugh is deep and boisterous, a reflection of his entire personality. “You’re really interesting, you know? No wonder Tobirama fell in love with you. You’re not at all like most courtesans.”Sasuke doesn’t know if he’s supposed to be flattered or offended by the comment.For Founders Week: AUs.





	the morning will come again

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The One Where Uchiha Sasuke Is A Feudal Princess](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10900110) by [Tozette](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tozette/pseuds/Tozette). 



> if you must know, this fic began when two weeks ago i stumbled home from a bar past midnight, super wasted and maybe a little bit high, and saw the founders week blog on my suggestion, with one of the days being on sasuke's birthday. decided to hit two birds with one stone by writing something for the fan event + do something for sasuke's birthday, because let’s be real here: this ship sounds like mf crack. that being said, i also gave up on this story halfway and just wanted this finished and to contribute something to the tobisasu (?) pairing and join founders week. 
> 
> frankly, the only reason why i even like the pairing is due to this certain series by tozette, which you should _totally_ read because it’s fucking good. i labelled this fic as inspired by those works because of this, but plot-wise as well as characterization . . . i didn’t really adhere to the original content. 
> 
> i would’ve placed explicit sexual content, but honestly, unless it’s something readers want, i’m not putting it, because this fic is already longer than i expected. i’ll likely add it as another chapter or another one-shot, if it’s something people want. lemme know what you think. 
> 
> in summary: please don't expect much from this, despite the lengthy word count and sufficient amount of time i sort of invested into this story.
> 
> also, for terms that might not be familiar to some:  
>   
> (1)Kagema — young male prostitutes  
> (2)Kiseru — Japanese smoking pipe  
> (3)Shamisen — traditional Japanese instrument  
> (4)Wakizashi — Japanese short sword  
> (5)Chokuto — Sasuke’s sword in canon  
> 

**[ now ]**

Izuna has just gotten back from his task of overseeing tonight’s dinner when he spots Madara storm out of one of the rooms, a mixed look of exhaustion and irritation on his face. Since he just came from the main hall, that means that he just had a meeting with the elders. Izuna tries recalling why Madara needed to see and talk to them this time around. When he remembers, he bites his lip in sympathy. 

_Right_. 

“I take it that it didn’t go so well.” Izuna starts, catching up to his brother as they walk down the hall. 

Madara sighs. “As if there was a possibility that they could react to this sort of thing any better.” he says. “ _You_ try telling them that one of our clan members spent half a year working in a brothel. Let’s see how that goes.” 

Izuna winces. “I’d rather not.” he says, though he knows as well as his brother does that the elders are going to order them to cover up the truth as much as possible. Clan pride and all. Madara better have a better backstory in mind; Izuna is terrible at being creative.. “What’s the verdict though?”

“Divided, from what I could tell amidst all the screaming.” Madara answers. “They want more time to discuss it and clear out their final say. I told them they have less than a week, which probably didn’t help with things. Hashirama better be ecstatic with the amount of effort I’m putting into this agreement.”

“You’re putting all this effort because you _want_ it too, brother.” Izuna points out. 

“Who wouldn’t?” Madara huffs. “Peace or war? The answer should be obvious, no matter who it’s with.” The moment the words leave his mouth, he eyes his brother suspiciously. 

Izuna raises his hands up in surrender. “It’s not that I don’t want peace.” he tells him. “I just really don’t want it with the Senjus. I don’t trust them with it.” His voice lowers in a mutter. “Especially if we’re going to be handing our dear little cousin to his clan as a bargaining chip for peace.” 

Madara gives him a strange look. “You’ve known the kid for three days.”

Izuna shrugs. “What can I say? I’m attached. He reminds me of me. Marrying him off feels a lot like marrying me off.”

“Please don’t say that.” Madara groans. “I refuse to imagine you as a kagema.”

Izuna crosses his arms thoughtfully. “I’m surprised we didn’t discover him sooner. Even before he started working in the brothel. We Uchiha always tended to stick out.” 

Madara pinches the bridge of his nose, contemplating whether or not to tell Izuna the truth. Only three people know of it so far, the kid aside, and Madara’s unfortunately the only Uchiha. Coming up with a bullshit origin story about the kid for the elders wasn’t so hard considering the said kid already had one up his sleeve, and it was _sort of_ believable, but still. Madara has no problem keeping secrets, but this is one where he feels like he should share. If only so that it’ll even out the playing field of who knows. He refuses to accept that more Senju know than Uchiha, especially when the main subject is an _Uchiha_. 

“About that,” Madara starts. 

* * *

**[ before ]**

In truth, Sasuke assumes that it would be the Uchiha who would find him first. 

He does his guard duty a lot better than his courtesan one, but with the latter, it’s a lot easier to hide. Though he’s good at fighting — and it’s easy, most of the time, because the only people he really has to deal with are customers who don’t pay up, don’t follow their brothel’s rules, or do something to the workers — every once in a while he’ll slip up and do a technique that’s distinctly _Uchiha_ , like a particular shurikenjutsu or a fire jutsu that gets the job done with a bit more challenging opponents and consequently damages a bit of their property. 

Aoi, the twenty-two year old owner, still hasn’t forgiven him for burning off a portion of their roof, so he refrains from using fire techniques and only resorts to them when they need to burn a body that accidentally ends up dead in the scuffle. 

Sasuke is very much aware that he’s running on a time limit here. Though half a year in hiding isn’t really _that_ long, it’s more than what he expected. He thought he’d be done for two months in. The brothel is far, far away from the populated towns and areas where most people — civilians, really — frequent, and much closer to the battlefield, so a majority of the customers they serve are travelers and warriors. It means less people know of his existence, but it also means he’s way less forgettable. Rumors about him have already started to circulate— the reputation of a man who popped out of nowhere and plays guard dog to a nameless brothel. Soldiers always remember powerful foes. Especially when most of the time, they leave their enemies alive. 

Sasuke blames Aoi for telling him to only kill as a last resort. 

Six months and seven days in, Aoi tells him, “It seems we have ourselves a group of special guests tonight.” This, in itself, doesn’t mean anything to him. They’re both in his room, with Aoi neatly folding her clothes while Sasuke continues grating the wet stone against his blade. Sometimes he regrets not taking Tsunade on that offer for a new arm. “Shinobi.”

Sasuke can’t help but snort. His private quarters, top floor, like all of the courtesans — because this place doubles as both a brothel and a residential area to the workers — has a beautiful view of the open field they’re surrounded by, but with the addition of a lake he can’t see the end of. The sun is slowly setting. “Shinobi always come. Do you think they’ll start a brawl here that you want me to stop?” 

Brothels are considered the only kind of neutral ground in this state of war. Enemies can be placed in rooms beside one another and no one is supposed to bring out their fists or weapons. These establishments exist for a way to blow off steam, not to incite violence. They’re strict in enforcing this idea; it’s why people like Sasuke are so valuable to Aoi. 

Aoi shakes her head. “These shinobi are supposedly looking for you. Maybe you overdid it with nearly ripping that man’s arm off last week.” Sasuke stops. Aoi notices. “I’ll give you tonight off if you need to lay low, but you’re on kitchen duty for two weeks in return.”

When Sasuke asked for refuge in return for his services — any kind, he was willing to offer — Aoi took him in without much hesitation, content with his answer of, “I just need a place to stay.” No one knows his past, only his name and the person he is now, the same way he knows none of their backgrounds; he’s never felt the need to open up about it, so long as they understood. Even now, Aoi doesn’t pry. Sasuke still doesn’t know if it’s out of respect or from a lack of interest. 

“You drive a hard bargain, old lady.” Sasuke whines, even though their age difference is only three years. He hates staying there. It’s always hot and it always smells. “Do you really want to subject them to my healthy cooking? They’d kill you.” Aoi simply huffs, and Sasuke resists a smile. “It’s fine.” he says, after a pause. He glances at his sword and bends it at an angle where the blade can glisten under the room’s light. “If anything happens, I can handle it.”

Aoi tilts her head. After a few seconds, she says, “Don’t go with the rest of them later to the front room for the picking. I’ll send their boss to your room.”

Sasuke raises an eyebrow at her as she scoops up the folded clothes and makes a move to leave. “I didn’t know their leader was a woman.”

“He isn’t.” Aoi says, opening the door and stepping out. “I hear he’s just not particularly picky with gender.”

Technically, Sasuke’s been lucky enough to never have an Uchiha step into their brothel. He asked about it once, and Aoi said that it was just because Uchiha were one of the most closed-off clans, and if they’d go to brothels, they preferred the ones in districts or towns, where they also had the option of doing other things after or instead. Sasuke supposes that tonight will be the rare exception. 

As the night comes, Sasuke dresses himself in one of the simpler but pretty kimonos he has that can be used for both his guard and courtesan duties, one of those garments he doesn’t mind getting ripped and destroyed. As he descends down the stairwell, the rest of the courtesans already at the front room and waiting to be picked by the clients for the night, Gin joins him as they walk through the corridor and make small talk. 

“I’m jealous of you.” Gin says loudly, at some point. He knows about the ones who are looking for Sasuke, because even though the latter asked Aoi not to tell anyone, she clearly told Gin. “I heard they’re called the Flash Squad. They’re supposed to be one of the fastest fighters out there.”

Sasuke rolls his eyes. It reminds him of the Yondaime, who was hailed as the Yellow Flash, which probably just adds to the stupidity of the nickname. “Hn, wonder if it means they finish fast too.”

Gin snickers. “That’d be a shame. Though they also say this troop’s leader is the most handsome one out of them all.” He eyes Sasuke’s appearance as if he hasn’t seen it dozens of times before. “How unfortunate, that he won’t be able to appreciate your true appearance and all its beauty.” 

The henge he has on is just a small alteration, giving him a lighter shade of hair and eyes. Transformations always require a conscious effort and concentration, which Sasuke can’t afford when he’s distracted doing other things, so changes as small as these work for him. It’s something he only pulls when he’s working; everyone who works and lives here know what he truly looks like, and they understand his need for secrecy even without asking. 

“Do you even know what he looks like?” Gin shakes his head. “He probably looks like me.” All Uchiha are good-looking in their own right, but they also all vaguely look similar to one another, more than any other clan. 

“I’m sure he’s more handsome than that.”

“Brat.” Sasuke thumps him in the head. “Their leader’s likely the most dangerous one too.”

Gin pouts. “Why? You think I can’t handle him?”

“You can’t even properly chop vegetables. What more wield an actual knife or sword as a weapon?” 

“You don’t need to be good at that in order to know how to fight with a weapon.”

You don’t. Naruto lived his entire life alone and he still doesn’t know how to properly chop _anything_ , but he wields a kunai decently enough, though he’s too reliant on all his techniques to resort to that. A weapon also doesn’t always have to necessarily be a physical one too, something carved from metal or wood. A jutsu works just the same. Gin doesn’t need to know that though, especially when he doesn’t know any. But he's been asking Sasuke for a while now. Gin isn’t anything like Kaoru, who can use a sword decently enough, so he might as well teach him a jutsu or two for self-defense or for when Sasuke isn’t there anymore to protect the establishment. 

“Whatever.” Sasuke waves a hand dismissively, half-concealed by his purple kimono. “Go. I’m sure Kaoru is waiting for you in his room.”

Gin sticks his tongue at Sasuke, childish and immature, but Sasuke can’t help but smile a little as he watches the younger do as told and head off to the room where Kaoru is. They’re one of the few male courtesans in the brothel, but Gin is the most energetic one out of the three of them. Aoi says it’s because he’s the youngest, freshly sixteen and eager to please. To some extent, it’s a bit like being around Naruto when he was that age, but way less obnoxious. They even have the same smile. Sasuke wonders about the possibility of Gin being some distant relative of the Uzumaki or Namikaze clan. 

The thing is, Sasuke is wholeheartedly expecting an Uchiha. He even made himself imagine seeing a member of his clan over and over until he could keep his emotions in check. It didn’t matter whether or not it was an Uchiha he was familiar with. Family was . . . family, even if he barely remembers what his own clan looks like. It’s been too long. 

So when he opens the door and sees Senju Tobirama, everything he’s mentally prepared himself for gets thrown out the window. The man is attempting to relight one of the scented candles that must’ve gone out, and upon seeing him, _recognizing_ him, Sasuke’s Sharingan flares without warning, because this was the very man who began Konoha’s distrust in the Uchiha clan, the start of their isolation from the rest of the village. The anger is sudden, like he got shot with it without warning. 

It fades a moment later, before Tobirama can look up and notice his presence, but the rage is still there. Sasuke subtle takes a deep breath, pushing away that familiar old hatred he thought he got over from his mind. Tobirama was the last person Sasuke expected to see, and clearly, not considering him at all is Sasuke’s downfall. 

Sasuke shuts the door, and Tobirama glances up. He raises an eyebrow when he sees Sasuke, realizing, based on the getup, who he is. “I asked to see this brothel’s guard dog.” is the first thing he says. 

“You’re looking at it.” Sasuke replies, walking towards him with the tray of tea in his hand. Putting all his focus into the one simple task of doing his job as a server helps calm the negative emotions bubbling in him. 

“Hm,” Tobirama hums thoughtfully, letting Sasuke pour him a cup of tea. The latter watches him as he drinks in silence, legs folded and hands carefully resting on his lap. He takes another measured inhale, hoping that it isn’t noticeable. 

Tobirama’s wearing the blue-plated armor Sasuke’s familiar with from the pictures in the Academy when they’d talk of their Hokage history, but here, it’s loose now, easy to remove. More than expecting an Uchiha, Sasuke came here expecting a fight, even if he didn’t bring any weapons, but he hadn’t expected this. Either Tobirama severely underestimated the rumors talking about Sasuke and his capabilities — and the thought makes his blood boil — or he didn’t come here just for that. 

When Tobirama says, “Come here” and nothing more than that, pats the floor beside him, Sasuke immediately knows what he wants. It doesn’t mean he understands what the other may be planning, but right now, it doesn’t matter. 

Sasuke doesn’t ask Tobirama to elaborate on his earlier thought. He knows he gains more the less the other asks. 

Sasuke’s eyes briefly land on the paper screen at the side of the room, which hides a wakizashi he left there in case of emergencies. He’s never had a real need to use it, but—

He looks at Tobirama and can’t help but think, _Uchiha-hater, the root of the village’s suspicion, his clan’s demise_ , even as they’re undressing one another and Tobirama is mouthing along his neck. 

He could get revenge, Sasuke thinks, secure his clan’s survival by eliminating the first cause for everyone’s suspicion— because it was Tobirama who gave the Uchiha the task of being the police force when Konoha was established, a way to give them an image of power all while putting them under his rule of thumb. The opportunity is right in his hands. He just has to find the right timing for it. 

There’s a newfound adrenaline in his veins at the thought, but he can wait. Right now, he might as well give the man what he wants. It’ll be his last night here anyway. 

  
  


As expected, the “Flash Squad” is Tobirama’s group of Senju. They all finish way past midnight, the last of the customers still in the establishment, and when the group finally depart after paying, all the courtesans crowd by the door and watch them leave, because it’s the first time in a while since they’ve had such entertaining clients come here. Sasuke doesn’t bother, opting to stay inside with Aoi, sitting on the floorboards and gazing at the open garden they have in the center of the entire brothel, illuminated with the lanterns scattered around and the night sky above. He’s smoking from his kiseru, a hand-me-down that belonged to the dead older sister of Kaoru, who didn’t want it, and his legs tingle with the memory of Tobirama’s firm grip on them. 

“Did he say anything?” she asks. 

“Nothing.” Sasuke answers. 

“Then why do you look so uneasy?”

Because he hadn’t done it, hadn’t killed him. They had finished early, but the rest of his men weren’t yet done, so Tobirama took a nap. He was out of it, likely exhausted from whatever tasks he had to do for the day, and that was Sasuke’s chance. 

Looking back at it now, he doesn’t even know why he didn’t do it. Something just felt off. He ended up spending the rest of time staring out at the window and smoking— a habit he got from Shikamaru that Sakura thought it was disgusting, though she never told him to stop. When he found himself in the past, he continued doing it partly to calm himself, and mostly because it made him think of her. Now, he just does it because he can. 

Sasuke doesn’t answer, just simply exhales the smoke from his mouth. “Did he say anything to you?”

Aoi smiles. “He said he’ll be back.”

Sasuke gazes back at the garden, thinks of Tobirama, who had kissed him on the lips before leaving, like he didn’t suspect a thing, and Sasuke’s heart feels heavy with regret. For what, he doesn’t know. 

* * *

**[ now ]**

The Uchiha Compound of this era is so reminiscent of his own back in his time that it makes Sasuke’s heart hurt. His head too, once he realizes that just because they feel the same didn’t mean they actually _are_ , because he’s been there for two and a half weeks and he still can’t navigate himself to the only four places he’s ever been to. 

Being mostly confined to his room and the other limited three is gradually making him more restless than ever. He always planned on going out during the evenings, if not tour around the compound to familiarize himself, but somehow they’ve managed to find a way to drug him with something during the day so that he’d always fall asleep when the night would come. It’s incredibly evident from that alone, how they don’t want him to leave, even if it’s just for a second. 

(He realized this morning that it was the food he ate that had the drugs in it, so he made sure to subtly exchange bowls with one of the other clan members for his meals throughout the day.)

It doesn’t really help that there are two guards stationed outside his quarters, hiding their presence well but not enough for Sasuke to not sense it. Even during the day, he’s being carefully monitored, albeit by only one shinobi, because it’s harder to do anything when there’s sunlight, since there are more people awake and alert. He knows it’s out of precaution, to keep intruders out and Sasuke in — he doesn’t exactly scream “trustworthy”, after all — but of course, it still annoys him. For one, he can take care of himself; secondly, he could probably take out every Uchiha that has been in charge of watching him even with half his chakra depleted. 

Being so severely underestimated irks him. 

But it works to his advantage too. Shaking the guards off likely won’t be too hard. His problem is doing it without being obvious, because if they sense something odd, there’s a chance they might contact Izuna, or even worse, _Madara_ , and the last thing Sasuke wants is more trouble. All he wants to do is go out, for fucks sake. 

It’s why his plan on using the Rinnegan to simply teleport himself out of there is out of the question. His chakra will spark from using the dojutsu and then disappear too quickly, and whoever is paying attention will definitely notice. He also doesn’t want to risk someone finding out about his eye. He’d have to make a simpler tactic. 

Sasuke’s evaluating the possibility of creating something to distract the guards rather than find some kind of way to knock them out, when he hears a loud clamor coming from outside, and the guards alarmed shouts. One of them is on the rooftops, and the other is just right outside, judging by the locations of their voices. After a few seconds, the two shinobi depart, and Sasuke takes that as his opportunity to leave the premises. He doesn’t hesitate, though he does look back to see if it’s a trap. It isn’t. He doesn’t sense anymore presences around him, all of them likely occupied with whatever caught their attention the first time. 

Sasuke doesn’t go far, hopping from roof to roof within the compound until he’s in between the edge of the entire area and the center of it, where he knows his room is. Sitting on the roof tiles and making sure there isn’t anyone closeby, he fishes out his kiseru from his sleeve. He doesn’t think the view can compare to the one he has back at the brothel, but he has a better sight of the sky, and since he’s so high-up, the wind is a lot stronger. Already, he feels a lot freer, like he can stretch his limbs and enjoy the serenity of his surroundings.

He’s about to light his pipe with his own chakra — Kaoru says it’s a stupid way to show off Sasuke’s fire affiliation, but really, he simply does it for convenience — when a kunai sails in front of him and snaps the thin wood into two. Sasuke catches the bowl’s end before it can fall to the ground, before jumping to evade the other two kunai that are aimed at him. Activating his Sharingan, he catches the next two thrown at him mid-air by catching them and throwing them back. The kunai both land right in front of his opponent’s feet. 

Sasuke lands and narrows his eyes. The man who attacked him doesn’t look like he’s affiliated with any of the clans Sasuke knows, but he’s certain that they aren’t Uchiha, and this isn’t some test the elders might’ve decided to give him for whatever reason. Assassins, he guesses, based on the cloth he’s using to cover his face and all-black clothing. Sasuke doesn’t know if he’s who this man is really after, or if he just happens to be in the way of the real target, but he thinks he can’t complain much. He hasn’t been able to do anything besides his usual daily routines to stay in shape, and this is his shot right now. Hopefully, a week of lazing around hasn’t affected his skill. 

The assassin isn’t easy to beat, which Sasuke expected, because no one sends someone weak in the Uchiha Compound less they’re stupid, but Sasuke is still able to kill him quickly enough. The unknown man is able to fight Sasuke without making eye contact with him even once, which makes any sort of genjutsu he was thinking of using impossible, but that’s never been Sasuke’s strong suit anyway. The Rinnegan could make things quick, but he opts not to use it because it’s a waste of chakra. Intead, Sasuke gets on the defensive to make his opponent grow arrogant, before subtly using a clone to appear behind the man and drive a Chidori through his chest. The corpse rolls off the rooftops and falls onto the ground. 

A couple of presences appear behind him, and though he only recognizes one of them, he knows the rest are Uchiha. 

“Where’s the enemy?” one of the asks. 

Sasuke points down to where the corpse rolled off. “Down there.” he says. Most of them save for two leave, likely going down to retrieve the body. The remaining two start talking, but Sasuke can’t make out the words. Then one of them departs, leaving behind the presence familiar to him. 

“What,” Sasuke starts, as the man lands by his side. “No congratulations for getting rid of the enemy for you?”

“One of many.” Madara says. “You were not supposed to leave your room.”

“If you’d actually let me go out every once in a while, I wouldn’t have snuck out in the first place.” Sasuke replies. “Besides, I can handle myself.”

“I don’t care. You may be an Uchiha, but you’re not here as a warrior; you’re here as our price for peace.”

Sasuke’s lips curl in a sneer. “I didn’t know those were words you’d ever use on the so-called reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths. No wonder they say the Uchiha are savages.” Acting haughtily is something Naruto’s always said Sasuke was, but this is the only time he’s purposely doing it. He’s had enough of Madara’s rambles about _peace_ in his own time. Despite the situation right now, he still doesn’t know how much different this Madara is from the one Sasuke’s known in the war. 

“I don’t know what happened in your time, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re an Uchiha yourself, you brat.” Madara scowls. Sasuke simply bristles. “I know Hashirama’s stance on it, and though I agree that you are valuable and a representation of something important, it’s not enough for me to trust you.”

Sasuke rolls his eyes. “I’m not a caged bird. You know as well as I do that I can leave anytime I want.” he states plainly. He can feel Madara slightly tense beside him, but he isn’t intimidated. “The fact that I’m still here should mean something, right?” He pointedly looks ahead. “I’m not even asking for you to trust _or_ like me. I just want to be able to go out and enjoy the fresh air. You don’t even have to drop your stupid fucking guards, though personally, it’s a waste of resources.”

“Hmph,” Madara huffs. It’s not an agreement nor a denial. “The assassins were here for you, you know.”

“I figured.” Sasuke says. That’s half of the reason why he has clan members monitoring him at all times, despite how Sasuke firmly believes that if they ever were faced with a situation, it would be Sasuke who would be doing the protecting rather than the guard. He opens his palm and stares down at his broken kiseru. 

“You ought to quit doing that anyway.” Madara says, seeing the broken device. “The Senju likely won’t even allow you to continue that toxic habit of yours anyway.” 

“Whatever.” Sasuke snipes, though it’s not like he can do anything about it regardless. He doesn’t have the money to buy a new one, doesn’t even know where to begin searching for one when he’s confined to this place. He definitely doesn’t want to ask for it either. 

“You should return to your quarters.” Madara says, though it’s basically a command. “The elders won’t be happy when they find out you ran into one of the assassins.” 

“You could give them the moon and they’ll still find some way to complain.” Sasuke replies, but stands up regardless. “At least that’s never changed.”

* * *

**[ before ]**

The second time Tobirama comes, two weeks later, it pretty much goes the exact same way it did the first time. Sasuke serves tea and removes both their clothes, Tobirama lies Sasuke down and they have sex, and then he falls asleep right after. He always finishes early, before any of his subordinates do, but Sasuke thinks it’s less because of Tobirama’s lack of skill and more of because he’s always exhausted. Sasuke drapes the blanket over the other’s sleeping figure and puts his own kimono back on. 

He could kill him. This is his second chance to do it. His wakizashi is still just right there. Tobirama’s in such a deep sleep that he probably wouldn’t even wake up until the blade’s already halfway through his stomach.

But he looks at Tobirama’s peaceful face and feels his resolve waver once more. They’ve barely spoken in the two times they’ve met, but there’s something peculiar in the way he acts around Sasuke that even the latter’s noticed all too well, with the way he looks at him, touches him, and smiles. It makes Sasuke feel like this isn’t the kind of man that would isolate a clan they co-founded a village with just because of paranoia and a lack of trust that came about from Madara’s dissatisfaction, who is just _one_ member. Then again, Sasuke considers, the Senju and Uchiha have always been long-lasting enemies, and it’s not a kind of bond that can be broken so easily. 

Killing Tobirama will definitely change the future, he realizes. Konoha might not even be found, especially because there’s a big chance they’ll find out his murderer was an Uchiha. And though part of the reason why he’s relatively content here in this time period is because there _is_ no Konoha, the idea of there being no village _at all_ doesn’t sit well with him, especially if he’d become the core reason as to why it would never come to be. 

He’s tired of feeling guilty for everything. Killing this man doesn’t seem worth the trouble. 

Besides, he doesn’t think doing it would bring him the kind of satisfaction taking vengeance usually does. 

Instead of spending the rest of the time dwelling in his thoughts — which just give him bigger headaches and more conflicted opinions — Sasuke tries to be more productive and reads through the scrolls Kaoru had given him. They’re not particularly useful, just information about the different clans that are prominent in this time period. Some of them, he doesn’t know of, but most he does. 

In his time, all he knew about all the other clans were the things they were most well-known for. The content in these scrolls give him a much deeper understanding as to what they are besides their obvious skill sets, and though it’s not that helpful for him — he’s one of the strongest shinobi in his own time period; things like these can’t do a thing for him at all; not to mention that the information is likely outdated because people improve — he attempts to make the most out of it by putting down notes beside the texts, comments posed as questions to certain aspects and theories as to how to counter some techniques. 

A yell startles him out of his work, and he grabs his wakizashi because his chokuto — one of the few things he was able to bring with him when he accidentally time traveled — is in his quarters upstairs, before running outside the room. It’s Megumi, one of the workers, kneeling on the ground, anger written all over her face. When Sasuke runs towards her, about to ask what’s wrong, he sees blood spilling from a cut on her leg, and his Sharingan immediately forms. Megumi doesn’t seem worried about her injury though, and instead shoves him away when he tries to help her and points towards the exit. “That fucker that tried hurting me is getting away!”

Sasuke disappears in a Shunshin and immediately appears in front of the customer, who stumbles back when he sees him. He’s a bald but young-looking man, and his sword is still out, the tip drenched in blood. Sasuke stares at the red liquid as a drop of it falls to the ground before looking at the warrior. “You’re going to regret that.”

The man doesn’t look intimidated, slowly moving into a battle stance, but then he meets Sasuke’s eyes and fear coats his face. “The S—Sharingan,” he whispers in horror. 

Even more reason to kill him then. Sasuke narrows his eyes and takes a step forward, raising his blade. The man’s apprehension dissipates the moment he sees that what Sasuke has is a short sword, and he charges at him without any hesitation. Sasuke easily evades the head-on attack and appears above him, driving the sword down his opponent’s back. Blood seeps into the ground as Sasuke stands on top of the now-dead man. Their short fight occurred right outside their brothel; he knows Aoi is not going to be happy with the mess. 

Then something hard slams into Sasuke the moment he’s finished wrenching out his sword from the corpse, and it’s a second too late when he realizes it’s a wolf made from earth. He’s dragged all the way to the field next to the side of the establishment and is promptly thrown by the creature, but regains his footing last minute and lands properly. The beast had bitten and hauled him from the back, but he got Sasuke by the back of his kimono, so the most serious damage he retained was the edge of the faux wolf’s canines scraping his skin, and his kimono completely torn in the back. It could’ve been a lot worse. Sasuke can’t help but think that his enemy is a bit stupid, to not take advantage of dealing him that more damage than just this. 

“I really didn’t want to have to do this to such a pretty face and nice body.” A voice says, and from the shadows emerges two men who look similar to the one Sasuke had killed. “But you just killed our friend, and we can’t forgive you for that.” 

“Hn,” The big earth wolf divides into three smaller ones and start to circle him. Sasuke watches them carefully with his Sharingan, and when they all simultaneously charge at him, he releases a Chidori from all over his body and eliminates them easily. The enemy looks startled, clearly not expecting him to have been able to deal with that so quickly, but what did they expect? Earth is weak to lightning. Sasuke sighs as he slowly walks to them, then starts running so fast that he disappears from sight. The eyes of his opponents dart around, searching for him, but they’re looking in all the wrong places, because he’s right in front of them, and delivers two hard kicks to their stomachs, sending them flying up. He jumps and comes up mid-air, and right before gravity takes hold of the shinobi, he activates his Rinnegan and pulls both their bodies close to him. With his only hand, he stabs one of them with his wakizashi; with what’s left of his mostly gone arm, he creates a long black pole made of pure chakra and uses that to pierce through the other shinobi. Rinnegan perks. 

When the two men fall, they’re already dead. Sasuke lands a second later, graceful as always, dojutsu already deactivated. He knows he should get rid of the bodies, but a part of his kimono slides off his shoulders, and he realizes how it’s dirty with blood and already in tatters. He grimaces, and though he’s not tired, he’s definitely annoyed. He trudges back to the brothel, deciding to deal with the bodies after he’s changed. There’s no one waiting for him but Kaoru, and the boy is frowning. 

“You look like shit.” he states. 

“How’s Megumi?” Sasuke asks. 

“She’s alright.” Kaoru says. “She’s being treated right now. It wasn’t deep in the first place, and Megumi already started fighting back before the guy could do worse to her. He attacked her because she refused to do it with him and a friend of his that was arriving here at the same time, but he wasn’t willing to push it when she stood up for herself and fled instead. Or tried to, anyway.” He shrugs. “The rest are either still working, or staying with Megumi right now. The fighting wasn’t that loud.” He steps forward and lifts the sleeve of Sasuke’s destroyed garments. He sighs mournfully. “And to think this was one of our best ones.” 

Sasuke just grunts and pulls away. “Get rid of the bodies for me, will you?” he says, walking past him. Kaoru makes a face at him, but follows Sasuke’s orders. 

Climbing all the way up the stairs to his room seems like too much work he’s not willing to put into, so Sasuke heads to the storage room and grabs one of the plainer kimonos there, discarding the one he’s currently wearing to put the new one on. He stares down at his destroyed clothes and can’t help but share Kaoru’s sentiment. He curses himself for deciding to dress nicely instead of practical for the night, not expecting that he’d need to fight this time around. He really did like this kimono, but it wasn’t like he had time to change. 

After taking a quick shower and putting on the new garments, his wrecked kimono is no longer there. Kaoru probably tossed it out already. Sasuke sighs and returns back to his room where Tobirama is still in, just to check if the man is still asleep. 

His client is peering at the scrolls Sasuke left open with a contemplative look on his face, but Sasuke bites his lip, resisting the urge to get mad at him for snooping as he enters. Technically, it’s Sasuke’s own fault for leaving them like that, and it isn’t like there’s anything valuable about the contents there. Kaoru said all the data there could be acquired through legal trade. “Sorry if abruptly leaving woke you.” Sasuke says, as the silver-haired man looks up. “One of the customers hurt one of the ladies, so I had to deal with him.”

“I saw.” Tobirama replies. Sasuke freezes, but the man doesn’t seem to notice the act. “What happened to your kimono?”

“It got ruined in the fight.” 

“A shame.” he comments. “It was quite beautiful.”

“The fabric was high-class too. Hard to replace around here.” He tries not to frown. 

Tobirama hums. “Does that mean you’re retiring for the night?”

Sasuke quickly recounts what he did while he was fighting, and concludes that his Sharingan wasn’t seen by anyone except for the shinobi he killed, and the way he fought wasn’t similar to any Uchiha fighting style. He’s safe. “Intending to.” he answers. “Unless there are still some things you want me to do?”

“There are.” Tobirama nods. This time, Sasuke’s lips curl slightly downward. “Can you get me some tea?”

  
  


“Troubled?” Aoi asks, coming to stand beside him. The rest of the courtesans are, as usual, watching as Tobirama’s troop leaves the brothel. Vaguely, he can make out Kaoru not-so-quietly asking Gin if he got the name of his client, though he can only hear Gin huff in reply. 

Sasuke looks up but doesn’t immediately say anything. He wants to say he doesn’t know what she’s talking about, but he’s well-aware how he’s been fiddling with his kiseru for ten minutes with no sign of lighting up. 

“What did he do this time? Nothing again?”

“No.” Sasuke says lowly. “We talked.” To his surprise. As they had tea, Tobirama started pointing out all the things Sasuke placed in the side of the texts that interested him, supplementing them with more information or countering them with possible situations. Sasuke was caught off guard, but his brain always accepted a challenge when he saw one — a result of having too much competitions with Naruto — so he was quick to respond, if a little bit bold, because the way he spoke when it came to battle tactics wasn’t polite in the slightest. Their conversation reminded Sasuke that Tobirama was a shinobi more well-known for his mind than his actual skill. He was the creator of many dangerous techniques that many shinobi used over the years and as generations passed; a true genius.

It was probably why Tobirama complimenting Sasuke’s own intelligence and skill made him feel flattered, an emotion he hadn’t felt in years. Being praised by a genius felt a lot better than being praised by a normal man. 

(“You’re exceptionally smart.” Tobirama had said. It took a lot of effort on Sasuke’s part to not smile and flush under the praise. He wasn’t thirteen anymore. “It’s a bit of a waste that all your talents are being wasted here as a brothel’s guard dog.”

Sasuke had shrugged at that, too internally pleased to take offense. “I like it here; that’s why I stay.” he replied. “But I understand where you’re coming from. That there’s probably something more out there for me. I’m just not looking for it.”

“Well,” Tobirama began. “Perhaps what matters most is that you’re choosing your path, rather than following the one set for you.”

Sasuke couldn’t help but smile at that, because Tobirama’s words made him think of Kakashi, who once said that he lived most of his life according to how others wanted him to. “Maybe.”)

“I was wrong.” Aoi says. Sasuke looks to her. “You don’t look troubled. You look happy.”

“No, I’m not.”

Aoi simply laughs. “I hope he comes back soon. It’s rare to see you like this.”

“You make it sound like I’m such a sad man here.”

“I never said that.” She shakes her head. “But there’s a difference between being content and happy. You make this small family here happy by being here— the boys, especially. It’s only natural that we’d want you to feel the same way.”

At that, Sasuke rolls his eyes. “You shouldn’t waste your time getting worry lines all over your youthful face, Aoi-san. It makes you look like the old woman you really are.” He teases, which makes her slap him in the back of his head, but there’s a small part of him that agrees with her sentiment. He does kind of want to see him again.

If only because it’s been a long time since his brain’s ever had to have a mental workout like that. And Sasuke’s always liked a challenge.

That’s the only reason why. 

  
  


Three days later, they receive a shipment from an unknown sender. Inside is a fancy kimono made from dark blue silk with golden leaves scattered around to contrast the color. On top is a message that says, _for this house’s guard dog: you look good in this color._

Megumi complains about how unfair it is that Sasuke gets the best client out of them all, and Sasuke doesn’t even try hiding his smile. 

* * *

**[ now ]**

Sasuke was too young to ever attend any meetings with the elders back in his time, and now, he’s eternally grateful for that fact, even if the reason for that was because they were all killed. They’re infuriating, perhaps in the same way the Konoha elders are, if Naruto’s complaints are anything to go by, too stubborn and demanding, clinging onto their beliefs. If Sasuke wasn’t already tired of war himself and didn’t understood the appeal of peace, he certainly would now just for the sake of going against them. 

Really, he’s surprised that there _are_ elders in the first place. History told him that during this time period, the age of a shinobi only reached around thirty. But he supposes there inevitably has to be some lucky bastards who make it past that. The reason the Uchiha have so many of them is probably because they’re one of the strongest clans in the country. 

The meeting is draining, and he’s only there for half of it. Though he’s main topic of conversation, he’s basically akin to a valuable object, because he has no say on the entire matter, and they only really keep him there for formalities’ sake. He can’t speak, so he doesn’t instead choosing to be as irritating as possible by acting restless. Then Madara tells him to get back and some random Uchiha member ushers him back to his quarters. 

An hour later, and there’s a knock on his door. Sasuke thinks it’s Madara for a second, before recalling that Madara doesn’t knock; he just enters as he pleases. He wonders if Madara was always this disrespectful, either because he’s the Clan Head or because he’s just naturally arrogant. 

It’s not. It’s Izuna instead. “What happened to your brother?” Sasuke asks, tossing the wooden kunai in his hands absentmindedly. He technically isn’t allowed any weapons; they even confiscated his chokuto. The wooden weapon in his hand was a gift from Hashirama, who just gave it to him because Sasuke “looked like he wanted it” — what a weird guy, Sasuke thinks, not for the first time — and not even Madara knows he has this. Izuna eyes it, but Sasuke gives him a warning look that signifies that if Izuna even says a thing about it to his brother, he will pay. Somehow. It doesn’t matter if Sasuke’s practically a prisoner around here. “He’s the one who usually comes and updates me about the meetings.”

“Being around you tends to . . . increase his blood pressure, you could say.” Izuna says carefully, a nervous smile on his face. “And it’s not really good for his health, so they sent me instead.” 

“Hn,” He likes Izuna a lot more than Madara, but he doesn’t know him anymore than he knows the lady who cooks and hands everyone their rice bowls. Then again, the only people he dislikes more than Madara are the elders, because at least the Clan Head _pretends_ to listen to Sasuke’s opinion. 

“Anyways,” Izuna clears his throat. “The marriage— your marriage has been approved of. Officially. Congratulations, I guess.”

Sasuke shifts, the only visible indication he gives of being vaguely uncomfortable, though he doesn’t intend to. Despite not having anything to do here besides his “daily routines” meant to keep him fit, he doesn’t spend it thinking about the marriage, which he already knew would’ve happened long ago. As much as possible, he tries not to think about things that could make him unsettled, which is ironic, because that’s nearly everything worth thinking about. 

“Is that it?” he asks Izuna shortly. 

Izuna tries, but can’t help but make a face at Sasuke’s attitude. Then he sighs. “Madara also wanted me to tell you why it must happen.”

“Tell?” 

“More like enforce.” he amends. “This union you’ll have with Tobirama will signify how the rivalry between the Senju and Uchiha is coming to an end. We’ll achieve peace this way, supposedly.” 

It’s not like Sasuke doesn’t know this. Hashirama stated the idea right in front of his face, before the Uchiha elders officially agreed to it. 

“You sound like you don’t believe it.” Sasuke comments. 

Izuna just shrugs. Sasuke decides not to press. If he doesn’t want to talk about it, Sasuke won’t bother. He doesn’t really care anyway. 

For a while, neither of them speak. Sasuke doesn’t even look at Izuna’s direction, but he can tell the other’s struggling to say — or do — something. 

“Can I ask?” Izuna eventually says, when Sasuke’s about to ask if that’s all the older Uchiha came here to say. “What the future is like, and all. I mean, I know my brother’s never asked about it because he always says we’re better off not knowing, and I agree but, I don’t know,” He leans back. “I guess I just want some proof that everything we’re doing is worth it, in the end.”

“I don’t know.” Sasuke admits. “The future might just change, after all.” 

“Oh,” Izuna deflates. He’s so different from his brother, a lot more open about his emotions and reactions. The younger one, clearly. Sasuke remembers being the same way, before the massacre. 

“But it’s . . . nice. Peaceful.” Sasuke says, stumbling on the words. It’s the first time he’s ever said something remotely positive about his future, and saying it aloud just cements the fact, makes it all the more real. Though it feels a bit scary, admitting something like that aloud when he’s spent so long resenting his life and how he’s lived, it’s also a bit freeing, trying to see it in the bigger scheme of things, when it’s not about himself anymore. This is really what he’s been spending his time here doing — thinking about the life he used to have before he accidentally landed in the past. “People are more united, and they trust each other.”

“My brother really wants this to happen. The unity, the peace.” admits Izuna. “I can see a bit of the appeal now, but I still have doubts about the entire thing, especially because the agreement relies heavily on you. He says that you’re the only one who can do it though— be the bridge between that peace we want.”

“Only because of this.” Sasuke says, looking at Izuna’s direction. He activates the Rinnegan in his left eye, and Izuna’s breath catches. Madara warned him not to tell anyone, because not even the elders knew of the dojutsu he had, but since he told his brother about how Sasuke came from the future, it seems safe to tell him about this too. “Some bullshit about the second coming of the Sage of Six Paths, who sought harmony.”

After Izuna recovers from his awe at witnessing the unique eye, he lets out another sigh. “Now that I’ve seen it, the more I don’t want to give you away to the Senjus.” he states. Sasuke can’t help but snort a little. “Be grateful I’m not one of the elders. If they knew, they’d keep you in here forever. There’s no way they’d sacrifice a special ability like that to their enemy.”

“Hn,” Sasuke hums. “My value isn’t worth much. If I took this eye out and gave it to someone else, they can be the ones marrying Tobirama instead.” 

“If only it was that easy. And if only that were true.” Izuna says. “Your worth is more than you eye to the Senju, however. Especially to your betrothed.” 

Sasuke knows, which he thinks is the problem. 

“Don’t tell him I told you this,” Izuna starts. Sasuke looks at him questioningly. “But my brother— he definitely will _never_ admit it, but he’s grateful that you’re there. This is his dream. There’s no one who wants to end the bloodshed more than him.” Until now, Sasuke can’t comprehend that kind of side of Madara, not when he waged war during Sasuke’s time and was the primary cause of so many deaths, both direct and indirect. “I’m not like him. I can still fight, after all, and I still want to, but I also want his ambition to come true.” 

“I know.” Sasuke says, because he can clearly hear the conflict _and_ conviction in Izuna’s voice. He wonders if it’s a younger brother thing, to choose or want the more aggressive path to solve things more than anything else, to always think that the violent approach is the most effective one. Sasuke remembers that boy he once was, but it’s more from an outsider’s point of view. As each day passes by, the more detached he gets from what he always knew to be his world — coated in darkness and blood — the less he recalls what it was like, regardless as to how often he ends up thinking about his past. It’s like his memories don’t want to stay with him. 

“Is that why you’re doing it? Why you’re not fighting the arranged marriage?”

Sasuke can’t help but grimace. “I’m definitely not doing it for your brother, if that’s what you mean.”

“Then why?”

He doesn’t say anything at first. Then, “I guess you can say it’s because we’re the same.” 

* * *

**[ before ]**

A month since Tobirama’s last visit, and Sasuke knows his luck has run out. 

The strong chakra he senses a mile away isn’t Tobirama— encountering him twice was more than enough for him to remember the feel of his, even without the Sharingan needed to memorize it, but it’s just as intimidating, because he realizes that the chakra is at that level because of its quantity. 

He knows it well, because he knows what his own chakra is like. The Uchiha have finally found him, and they’ve finally come. He lets himself wonder, briefly, what gave it away, before he concludes that it was likely the accumulation of rumors that piled up over time, and it’s only now that they decide to make their move. If anything, he’s certain that it’s not because of Tobirama, who clearly saw the fight he had during his second night there. He’s a Senju, after all, and the ones heading his way are Uchiha, their sworn enemy. It wouldn’t make sense. 

Leaving has never been particularly hard for Sasuke, not when for most of his life, he was always the one getting left behind. Now, he realizes the difficulty of it, of saying goodbye to people who he has to leave for their own good rather than to achieve his own ambition. He doesn’t know if he can consider the people in the brothel _family_ , necessarily, but they’re damn close to it, and when Gin’s eyes glisten with something that looks like tears that he tries to suppress, Sasuke’s heart twists. Kaoru isn’t surprised, because they’ve all known that Sasuke couldn’t stay forever, but he isn’t exactly happy either. Sasuke just tells the younger that now he’s in charge of protecting them all, because Gin, despite having much more enthusiasm for fighting than Kaoru, isn’t strong enough or old enough to do it. 

“First you make me constantly clean up after your messes, and now I gotta actually do you _job_?” Kaoru huffs. “Man, you’re useless.” 

Sasuke wonders if this was what it was like for Kakashi, to have him, Sakura, and Naruto as his little genin. Kaoru is a lot older, but still. Sasuke would like to think it’s sort of the same. This is probably the closest he’ll ever get to having students, and he can’t help but feel a little sad, because he has to part with these kids, who he knows he’s grown somewhat fond of. “Take care of them for me.” he tells him. 

“Take care of my kiseru.” Kaoru replies, but they both know he doesn’t really care about that, because he himself would’ve tossed it aside if Sasuke didn’t ask to have it. “If you break it, I’ll kill you.” 

At that, Sasuke can’t help but smirk. “Now that, I’d like to see.”

Aoi, on her part, simply hands him a bag filled with all the essentials he’ll need when he departs without him even asking. It means a lot to her, to be able to do this, despite not saying it aloud, because Sasuke knows she once had a young son who ran away from home to join the war without a word and never returned; one night, when they got piss drunk, Aoi confessed her greatest regret was not being able to mother her son one last time by packing his things like she always did when he was a kid and too young to act independently. 

Sasuke leaves an hour or two before night comes. It’s not much of a goodbye, but he’s hasty because the last thing he wants is for them to be caught in the crossfire. Even though he’s no longer in charge of protecting the brothel, he might as well do it one last time, even if that means leaving them. They’ll be alright. They managed plenty fine without him before, and he’s sure the boys who do a fine job in filling up the role he once occupied. 

He runs aimlessly, his only goal being to get as far away as possible. It’s not a long-term _or_ a good plan, but he doesn’t think about that right now. He doesn’t risk jumping to different places with his Rinnegan, wary that it would draw attention because the use of that dojutsu always spikes his chakra, and because he fears that he might unintentionally end up back in the brothel, because it’s the place most familiar to him in this time. 

As he dashes through fields and forests in the dark, his Sharingan comes alive from the adrenaline rushing through his veins, memorizing every inch of the surroundings he passes by. He makes a resolute effort to not look back. If he does, he might just regret it and return. And he knows he can do anything but that. They’ve become something like home to him, the same way Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi were when they were starting out as a team, but just like with Team 7, they aren’t a kind of home he can come back to.

He’s never been lucky enough to have one, and he’s long accepted it. 

  
  


As Sasuke predicted, the group of Uchiha arrive at the steps of their brothel, loudly announcing their search for their rumored kin member to be amidst the employees. Most of them don’t know of the rumors, so they don’t understand the question. They all know Sasuke looks similar to these men, but having black hair and onyx eyes isn’t exactly a unique feature; they don’t know of his Sharingan, because he never revealed it to anyone before. There was never a reason to, after all. Then the group bring up their guard dog, and the courtesans decide to just call Aoi to handle them. 

“Where is he?” one of them roughly demands to her. Behind her, Kaoru immediately tenses, but Megumi grips his shoulder to prevent him from trying anything. Gin settles with a harsh glare, but Aoi doesn’t even look fazed by the tense atmosphere surrounding them. 

“He left.” Aoi easily answers. 

“When?”

“Right before sunset.” she says. “He didn’t say where he was going though.”

The man who asked looks back to his men. “He couldn’t have gotten far. We should be able to find him.” And then they rush out. 

Despite the fact that they have other clients to attend to, the four of them head to the entryway and cautiously watch the departing warriors. 

“He’ll be alright, right?” Gin asks. 

“He’s an Uchiha.” Aoi says, as if she’d known Sasuke’s true identity all along. 

“How reassuring,” comments Kaoru dryly.

Megumi turns her back on them, feeling a sudden phantom pain in her previously injured leg. It had been a while since that incident. “Forget Sasuke; I’m more concerned about his man.”

“His man?” Kaoru questions.

“The one with red markings on his face.” she supplies. “I’m sure he’ll be devastated once he comes back and finds out his favorite has left for good.” 

“I doubt that he will return here.” Aoi tells them. 

“Why?”

“Because he probably already knows.” Gin answers for her, hands folded in the back of his head. Kaoru and Megumi look at him questioningly. “You could tell from the look in his eyes that he’s a smart man. When he looks at Sasuke-san, it’s like he knows more about him than he lets on. Sasuke-san too. They’re special, that way, the two of them.”

“How would you know that?”

Gin shrugs. “It’s obvious, if you look. I just don’t think Sasuke-san knows that yet, because he hasn’t.”

* * *

**[ now ]**

Hashirama comes in a literal whirlwind of leaves. One moment, Sasuke’s alone in the dining hall having a late breakfast, and a second later, the head of the Senju Clan appears right in front of him. It’s a flashy Shunshin, and it’s one Sasuke definitely doesn’t see coming, which makes him internally seethe, because he hates being caught off guard like that. The wooden kunai automatically slips down from his sleeve.

“Oi,” The door slides open, and Madara enters before Sasuke could ever utter a word, likely having sensed Hashirama’s presence before he could. Sasuke subtly retracts the weapon. “Come in the normal way, why don’t you? Just appearing like that give my men heart attacks.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Hashirama says, laughing loudly and apologetically, and Sasuke winces at the sound, which practically bounces around the room. He doesn’t remember Hashirama’s voice being _this_ loud; then again, the last time he spoke to him was outdoors, and he was a lot physically farther from the other man than he is now. “I got excited. It’s not everyday I get to see my future brother-in-law, you know!”

“You’ll get to once the ceremony is finished.” Madara replies, standing behind Sasuke with his arms crossed. Sasuke tries to act like the gesture doesn’t unnerve him in the slightest, and continues eating. “He’s living in the Senju Compound, after all.”

Sasuke stops eating. That’s new information to him, and he doesn’t exactly know what to feel about it. He’s not attached to the Uchiha Compound in the slightest; in fact, more often than not he’d end up thinking about the brothel and it’s simpler but more appealing structure and realize he misses it. Still, the idea of being surrounded by Senju isn’t an idea that sits well with him. His own clan is wary of him because of how generally _off_ his presence is — not entirely surprising, given that he’s from the future, but he didn’t think he ever made it obvious — what more his own clan’s greatest enemy? 

“When were you going to tell me that?” Sasuke asks, shooting Madara a glare. 

“That’s why he’s here, actually.” Madara replies, pointing at Hashirama. “He’s the one who wants to talk about the other details of the agreement.”

“The _marriage_ , Madara, not the _agreement_. Stop making it sound so formal; you’ll ruin the magic of it.” Hashirama nags. “And I’m only doing this because you refuse to.”

Madara rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t deny the latter part. “As if this brat here is feeling the ‘magic’.” Sasuke bristles, but he doesn’t disagree. “I’m leaving. Try not to be so loud, Hashirama. No one likes the fact that you’re here. Please don’t rub it in.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not here to cause trouble.” Madara nods once, spares a glance at Sasuke, before turning around and leaving. 

“There’s a contract for the entire marriage, actually.” Hashirama immediately starts, sitting down in front of Sasuke. The latter already knows this. “I’m surprised you haven’t read it yet.”

Sasuke shrugs. He wasn’t there when the contract was made, but he knows _of_ it. They haven’t offered to let him read it either, despite how he’s the main subject of the content. He could’ve asked, though he doesn’t know how far that could’ve went, because he’s well-aware that despite the lack of absolutely horrible treatment, he doesn’t exactly have any real rights here; what’s more, wanting to know in the first place feels a lot like admitting how out of his element he is here, how ignorant he is to his own fate, and he doesn’t sit well with the idea. He figured that he’d learn at some point anyway, so he didn’t bother trying to find out behind everyone’s backs. 

“You just heard it from Madara, but you are going to be moving to the Senju Compound permanently. Tobirama has a high position in our clan, being my younger brother, so he has a lot of responsibility he can’t ignore.” Hashirama explains. “You’re a warrior, yeah? Unfortunately, even with my influence, I don’t think my clan will easily accept the idea of accepting an Uchiha into our ranks, so until then, we’ll have to find something else for you to do in the meantime.” 

At least Hashirama acknowledged the fact that Sasuke was someone who preferred fighting over playing house. Hearing his words now, however, makes Sasuke realize that he might not have a choice. The Senju Clan might want proof that he’s domesticated, because both clans view one another as wild, distrustful beasts, and being kept on house arrest and being subservient to his spouse is the best evidence. 

They talk a bit more, but it’s really mostly Hashirama opening his mouth to speak while Sasuke opens his mouth to continue eating. The Senju Clan Head isn’t explicitly saying it, but Sasuke knows his treatment at the Senju Compound won’t really be any better than his treatment here. There will be a guard or two monitoring him while Tobirama isn’t there, at the request of the Senju elders. He can never wander around alone or without permission. They’re definitely subject to change over time, but not when the marriage will be fresh. Trust is hard to come by during this era. 

It also turns out most of his freedom will be decided by Tobirama— what he gets to do and what he will have to do. If Sasuke wants to visit his Clan outside of the monthly meetings the two large groups will have with the new alliance, or even to the brothel, he’ll need Tobirama’s consent to do that. (He’d say neither is likely to happen, because the Uchiha Compound is just a house with no precious memories, and he left the brothel knowing he could never return, so the idea of being able to visit is just— something he can’t even put into words, because he can’t grasp the concept, the freedom.)

No one really cares about what either of them do during their stay together, so long as they’re not harming one another or doing anything to jeopardize the peace the two clans have established for themselves with their marriage. The reason Tobirama has complete authority over Sasuke is because of the fact that (1) they’ll be in Senju territory, (2) Tobirama generally has a higher rank than Sasuke does, and (3) because Madara didn’t really care about negotiations for Sasuke’s safety when making the contract. At most, he only showed concern for Sasuke’s eyes, asking them to be returned to the Uchiha Clan should they ever be taken out for whatever reason. Sasuke would question the odd dismissive attitude of Madara when it came to his Rinnegan, which would’ve been a great asset in letting their own clan gain more power over the Senju Clan, if he didn’t know about Madara’s desire for peace. A powerful eye is a small sacrifice in the bigger scheme of things; Sasuke’s own life, even more so. It probably helps that Madara doesn’t even like him. 

“This isn’t part of the contract, but it’s something Madara and I have been talking about for a while.” Hashirama suddenly says. “Different clans are coming over to attend the marriage, since it’s a big deal for two of the strongest clans to unite like this. When the alliance is official, we’re probably going to set up a community soon.”

“A community?”

“Like a village!” Hashirama exclaims excitedly. “The first one. It won’t just be for the Senju or Uchiha— but the other clans too who want to join our alliance and fight for peace. And civilians, of course. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Maybe we can even influence other countries to do the same. What do you think?”

The history as to how the villages came to be is long forgotten in Sasuke’s mind, but at least he knows that this way, the future he knows can still be in place. He can’t believe he’s aiding in Konoha’s formation, but Hashirama’s expression looks so sincere and happy that it looks a lot like looking at Naruto, and he realizes he doesn’t mind it that much. He’s not the same vengeful teenager he once was, after all. And he knows the beauty of peace. 

It takes Sasuke a moment to remember that Hashirama asked him a question. Saying something spiteful like telling him that his opinion doesn’t matter isn’t something he feels like he can do. Hashirama isn’t Madara, who never asks for what he thinks, which is why Sasuke always says it, because it’s fun to grate on the other’s nerves like that. It’s not like he wants to get on Hashirama’s nerves either, even if he feels like it’ll be a very hard thing to do in the first place.

Sasuke realizes how awkward it is for him to say what he feels or thinks when he’s asked about it, because only a few people have really cared. 

“It might just change the world.” he says. 

Hashirama brightens. It feels blinding. 

  
  


Tobirama comes in the dead of night. Sasuke still can’t sleep well after all this time, but since Madara won’t allow him to go out every evening, he paces his chances out and only leaves when he feels restless. He doesn’t venture far; always staying on the rooftops above his quarters so if people are looking for him, he’ll be easy to see. Compromise. 

Like his brother, Tobirama comes in a Shunshin, but it’s a lot quieter, less because of the scenario they’re in and more because that’s his style. Tobirama does best when he practically remains in the shadow of his brother, because it doesn’t bother him in the slightest; he isn’t hindered by any sort of pride or desire to stand apart Hashirama to assert and emphasize his independence and power, because he’s that self-assured and indifferent to others’ opinions. Sasuke doesn’t want to dwell on how certain he is of this thought, because then it would become a testament as to how well he knows Tobirama. 

“Why are you here?” Sasuke asks, but there’s no accusation in his tone, only faint curiosity. 

Sasuke is still looking to the sky until Tobirama takes a step closer to him and pulls out something from his sleeve. A kiseru. “You like these, don’t you? I heard that yours broke.” 

It doesn’t look anything like the kiseru he once owned, that was given to him by Kaoru, though that’s expected. It’s why Sasuke liked it in the first place. It tethered him to the brothel; a physical manifestation that he made memories there. “I liked it for what it stood.” He says. For a second, Tobirama’s face deflates, and though it returns into a blank, cool expression, Sasuke’s eyes are keen, and he notices. He plucks the pipe from Tobirama’s hold regardless of his words. “But I do like smoking.” 

The design and material is a lot fancier, that’s for sure. It’s less likely to break too, so Sasuke appreciates it. He’s also not stupid enough to not see what this is— a gift. One Tobirama didn’t have to give, but made an effort to anyway. 

“Madara said your clan didn’t approve of my vices.” Sasuke comments, after he’s lit the kiseru up. They’ve left the rooftops in lieu of walking through the compound’s large garden. Sasuke doesn’t know this place anymore than Tobirama does, but he tries not to show it. 

“All things considered, it’s not too bad of one.” Tobirama replies to that. “As long as you don’t do it in front of Hashirama, then you can get away with it. He’s really against it, you know, but not in an assertive way. I can see why, because it’s debilitating to the health, but as long as you know when to stop, then it’s not my call to make.” He shakes his head. “Ah, I’m getting ahead of myself. I did not come here to lecture you.” 

Thankfully, Sasuke wasn’t listening to half of what he said, but he can’t exactly let the other know that. “Then why are you here?” Sasuke reiterates his first question. “Cold feet before the wedding?”

Tobirama laughs softly. “The wedding is still in two months.”

Sasuke shrugs. “It’s never too early to start getting nervous.” 

Tobirama beams at him, like he finds Sasuke’s running commentary endearing. ”Are you?” 

At that, the younger scoffs. Tobirama chuckles, and in response, Sasuke purposely blows a puff of smoke at his face. The silver-haired man doesn’t even look fazed. 

“I came here because I was feeling conflicted, actually.” Tobirama confesses a best after. 

“I doubt that the Uchiha Compound is a great place to do that.” Sasuke points out lowly. “You’re still walking on enemy grounds. Show even a bit of weakness, and they’ll exploit that.”

“You’re here though.” Tobirama says easily, like that somehow answers everything. Sasuke doesn’t know what to think about that, but he flushes slightly. He hopes it isn’t obvious under the dim moonlight. 

“Shut up.” Sasuke says without actual bite. 

Tobirama tilts his head with a slight smile gracing his features before they return solemn. “I have my doubts about the marriage.”

Sasuke stills, because that’s the last thing he was expecting. Even Sasuke himself— no. That isn’t exactly true. He can’t have his doubts on it when he has no say as to whether or not it can happen or not, and he hasn’t been thinking much about it in the first place to have something akin to “doubt”. At most, there’s distaste, but it’s more for Madara’s flippant treatment and view of him as less than human with the matter more than anything. Sasuke’s undergone many different kinds of experiences, but marriage— anything related to _love,_ is still a foreign concept to him. Even the familial kind that he’d been given as a child from his own family, his past teammates, and even the ones from the brothel. “Now they’ll really kill you on sight.”

“They can’t hear us right now.” Tobirama says. Sasuke looks at him in confusion, and the other taps on his lips gently. For a moment, Sasuke sees a small line of symbols in black ink move like they’ve alive in between Tobirama’s lips. _Clever_ , Sasuke can’t help but think. The silver-haired man probably made the jutsu himself; Sasuke wouldn’t put it past him. 

“I want it to happen because it’s my duty to ensure peace, and this is the best way to achieve it.” Tobirama continues. “And because it’s a marriage with— with you.” The stammer is the only hint of his nervousness, what reminds Sasuke that despite the image of certainty he puts up like the natural born leader he is, Tobirama is out of his comfort zone, in a way similar but also so, so different from Sasuke. “And it’s because of that, because it’s with you, that I doubt myself. I don’t want you to enter a marriage you’re forced into, one you don’t even want.”

Most problems with arranged marriages, Sasuke knows, is that it’s a battle of duty versus desire. This is not Tobirama’s problem, because if he goes through the marriage, he achieves both. Sasuke is very much aware of it, even though Tobirama has only been truly verbal of his attraction for Sasuke a handful of times (which is a lot, Sasuke realizes, given that they haven’t even met up a lot). This is more likely to be Sasuke’s problem, but in the first place, he’s a nobody who came from a brothel and a different time period despite originating from one of the strongest clans, and he can’t really do anything. Sasuke finds Tobirama’s concern for his situation . . . understandable, for lack of a better word, but ultimately useless. 

“If I truly wanted to leave, then I could’ve. Not even your brother or Madara could stop me.” he tells him. It’s repeating the same thing he told Madara, more or less, but this is less of a threat and more of a comfort, somewhat, to Tobirama. He doesn’t understand why he feels the need to do so in the first place, but he’s doing it anyway. Maybe it’s reassurance to himself, that the reason he’s here isn’t because he’s really trapped with no means of escape. He isn’t helpless here, despite how he acts rather passively to what everyone does with him and how they all live under the pretense like he can’t do a thing. “But I haven’t.” he pauses. “I’m not.”

“Why?”

He hesitates for only a second. “Your brother wants to create a village.” he says. “If we— if we get married, then it’ll lead to the village’s formation.”

“The village that treated you horribly?”

Sasuke just shrugs, but it’s uncomfortable. He’d like to think that the fate of his clan would change now that he’s here, playing such a relevant role in Konoha’s formation. It has to. There should be no more bad blood between the two major clans, not when one of the Senju’s most prominent members is in love with an Uchiha. The Konoha they’ll make won’t be the same as the Konoha that ruined his life.

And besides, “My older brother loved that village, in spite of what they did.” is his answer. “I’ll never get why, but I don’t think I need to, for me to want to play a part in making something he loves.” He gives Tobirama a knowing look. “That’s something you understand, don’t you? It’s Hashirama’s dream, after all; that’s why you think it’s your duty to see it happen.” Tobirama doesn’t say anything. “Izuna is the same.” Sasuke glances to the sky. “Maybe it’s a younger brother thing.” 

“So you’re doing this out of duty.” Tobirama says, voice even, but Sasuke can detect the undeniable disappointment in his tone. 

He is. Ironic, because that was always more of Itachi’s thing. Sasuke was many things, but dutiful was not one of them. He was brash and reckless, always making his decisions based on others because he never truly had a sense of independence because he was a child at heart. It’s something he’s always seen as a bad thing, because children are emotional and ignorant, always afraid to take responsibility for their own actions. 

But Tobirama is a different kind of childlike Sasuke’s never accounted for. The kind that’s open and vulnerable, the kind that can still persevere despite the setbacks and rejection. Freely sincere and unafraid of that. The kind that can still exist despite also being grown up, mature and serious in a way that’s as clear as daylight, level-headed and sure of himself and capabilities. 

Sasuke realizes there’s nothing wrong with that contrast. People are more than what they appear to be. Emotions are a lot more complicated than they make themselves out to be. It’s probably why Sasuke says, “For now.” because he’s curious, for lack of a better word. Because he looks at Tobirama and doesn’t know exactly what to feel, but knows that it isn’t dislike. 

There isn’t a response to that, but he feels Tobirama shift closer, his hand brushing against his own tentatively. Sasuke doesn’t necessarily reciprocate the gesture, but he doesn’t pull away either, and it’s enough. 

* * *

**[ before ]**

He lasts for four days before they finally catch him. For what it’s worth, there are only two reasons as to why that’s the case. 

Firstly, he gets poisoned by an arrow aimed at him by an unknown man that mistook him as his enemy because he was trespassing his clan’s territory. Sasuke managed to avoid the earth jutsu trap that threatened to swallow him whole in the start, but the onslaught of arrows that directed itself at him while he was still midair made things challenging. He used the Rinnegan to teleport himself away, but right before he left, his arm got grazed by one of the arrows, which was laced with something lethal. Sasuke’s body was more or less resistant to toxins because of Orochimaru’s experiments, but this one was different, and he knew it wasn’t something that would just fizz out immediately. He didn’t have the resources to take it out or knew of any place to go to for an antidote, so the only thing he could do was silently pray that his body would just find a way to counter the poison on its own. In his head, he can hear Sakura screaming at him, telling him to stop being stupid, but the reality is that Sakura isn’t here, and he really, really can’t risk going to any place remotely crowded with civilians when he knows there are still people tailing him. He can’t risk anyone getting caught in any fight that might come about. 

Secondly, it’s Hashirama _and_ Madara who go after him. 

Sasuke would like to think he put up a relatively good fight, but that’s only because he gives up all pretense and activates his Rinnegan and Mangekyou to assist him in the battle. It doesn’t really matter, in the end. Sasuke loses because he severely underestimates how bad the poison’s spread until he fails to dodge a strong kick from Madara in their unintentional hand-to-hand combat session and ends up trapped in Hashirama’s makeshift wooden dome. He tries tearing through it with Chidori, but the insides are spiked and he ends up getting pierced by one of them. The sudden injury and loss of blood throws him off and makes him feel ten times more nauseous than before, and he ends up passing out. 

He comes to soon enough, in what feels like five minutes, with the sound of a familiar haunting voice saying, “Oi, wake up, brat.” 

Madara, he recognizes immediately. Sasuke snaps his eyes open and sees the man looking down at him. He’s seated on a rock, while Sasuke’s lying on his back right beside it. He tries getting up, only to realize that he’s bound by wood wrapped around his body and stilling his movements. It’s tough too. He tries summoning a Chidori to cut through it, but his head is too foggy to focus chakra into a certain point in his body, even if the jutsu is supposed to be automatic at this point. 

“Don’t bother.” Madara continues. “I know of your weird lightning jutsu. We’ve removed the effects of the poison that could kill you, but not the ones that messes up your brain activity. If you come with us peacefully, we’ll take that out of you in no time.”

Sasuke glowers at Madara, but the latter only smirks. “That’s a nice eye you have with you.” he says, and it hits Sasuke that his Rinnegan is out. It takes a lot of concentration and chakra just to retract it, so it only makes sense that it’s visible when he’s in this state. Madara reaches over, and his hand hovers right in front of Sasuke’s eyes. He wants to get away, but the wood that binds him is attached to the ground beneath him, and it’s an effective way of keeping him in place. Fuck. Madara could take his eye out right then and there, and Sasuke’s powerless to stop him. Though he knows the poison screwed up his senses, he has a feeling that he’d still be able to feel pain. And he isn’t keen on experiencing something as agonizing as having his own eye removed from his face. 

“Madara! Stop him. We didn’t come here to do that.” A voice booms over from a short distance. Madara abruptly pulls away to glare at the figure approaching closer to them. Sasuke looks up and sees Hashirama’s large frame. He looks down at Sasuke, and immediately, he’s brought to a sitting position, almost as if nature is bowing to Hashirama’s command. 

Madara rolls his eyes. “Relax. I just wanted to scare him a little. Serves him right, for stretching this search longer than necessary.” 

Sasuke is pretty sure the Senju and Uchiha clans are still at war with one another, so seeing the two Clan Heads together, _not_ killing each other, only makes him confused, and it hurts his brain all the more. “What the fuck,” he manages to say. He’s pretty sure these two were only on good terms later on. _Way_ later on. “Since when were you two buddies?”

“Shut up.” Madara snaps. “Since when does an Uchiha stoop down to the level of a prostitute?”

“Hey, calm down.” Hashirama tells him. “There’s nothing wrong with being a courtesan! We should respect their decision on what profession to pursue.”

Hashirama’s defending him, somewhat, but it doesn’t make him any less annoying. Or maybe it’s the ongoing headache Sasuke feels the more sound that rises. “Shut up.” he says, at the same time as Madara. They both glare at one another, and Hashirama laughs. The sound rings in Sasuke’s ears painfully. 

“He truly is an Uchiha.” Hashirama states. “You could tell, even without the eyes. Are you sure you’ve never met him before?”

“Positive.” Madara grits out, like he hates the fact that he didn’t meet Sasuke sooner. Funny, because he also looks like he’s two seconds away from ripping Sasuke’s head off for— whatever reason. Maybe hostility is second skin to this guy. 

It probably doesn’t help that Sasuke spits at his feet in a small act of rebellion. Blood ends up splattered right in front of Madara’s sandals. 

“You fucking punk.” Madara growls, but Hashirama restrains him by gripping onto his shoulder before the Uchiha can lunge at him. Sasuke shifts and resists the biggest childish urge he’s ever had to stick his tongue out at him. There’s just something amusing about seeing Madara pissed off. This Madara seems a lot different from the one he encountered in the war in his time. He’s a lot more . . . human, here, and though the thought is _weird_ , it sparks Sasuke’s curiosity. “That Mangekyou of yours may be rare, but I’m sure as hell that I can use mine better than you, you goddamn brat.” 

“Please don’t kill him.” Hashirama says. “I know we only came here because no one was fast enough to go after him, and he was giving both our elders’ headaches, but look! He might just be the one.”

“The _one_?” Sasuke repeats. 

Hashirama lets Madara go when he’s sure the other won’t murder Sasuke and kneels down in front of the younger Uchiha. Sasuke’s Mangekyou spins cautious at the Senju, but his Rinnegan remains still. “That eye of yours, Sasuke.” he answers, tapping the area of his own left eye as a gesture. He has no idea how Hashirama knows his name. “Legends talk about—”

“ _Of course_ you’re starting it like that.” Madara scoffs from behind. 

Hashirama ignores him. “Otsutsuki Hagoromo, the first shinobi, the one who later became known as the Sage of Six Paths. He was the savior of the world, when there was a great catastrophe, and he had the same eyes as you. It was called the Rinnegan.” he explains. 

“I know.” Sasuke interrupts flatly, because Hashirama’s story-telling tactic involves too much flair in his voice and he thinks he’ll go insane if he has to continue listening to the other with that tone. 

Hashirama blinks, shocked. “Oh, really?”

Of course he does. The bastard himself gave him the ability to awaken the fucking eye so they could win the war against the back-from-the-dead Madara. That felt like almost a lifetime ago. “Yeah.” 

The Senju frowns and crosses his arms. “Strange, I didn’t think it was a known tale among common folk.” 

“There’s nothing normal about him, Hashirama.” Madara replies, before turning to Sasuke. “He’s an Uchiha, and he’s clearly experienced. There’s no way he’d only pop in our radar this recently.” 

“Maybe you’re just not as good as you think.” Sasuke retorts. Madara’s eyes narrow. 

“Nice try, kid, but I’m done tolerating your bullshit.” he says. It’s then does Sasuke smell blood coming from Madara, and he sees a hole in his armor meant to protect his shoulder, and how something liquid red slowly drips from the area. He also notices how the right side of Hashirama’s armor is burnt off, and how the Senju is leaning heavily on one leg. He doesn’t even vividly remember how the fight went, but at least it’s nice to know he dealt some effective damage. 

Madara also notices Sasuke noticing these things, because he says, “The only reason you were able to hit us was because we weren’t coming at you with the intent to kill. If we did, you’d be dead even before you could blink.”

Sasuke just snorts, because he’s pretty sure that isn’t true, though he chooses not to say anything; provoking Madara in that way might not be as good of an idea as the previous ones were. It doesn’t hurt to let them think that anyway. “Why didn’t you then?” he asks. “Wasn’t that what you came here to do?” 

“I wasn’t. He was.” Hashirama answers, pointing to Madara. “Something about how every Uchiha that isn’t in the compound is a traitor and should die. My little brother mentioned you a couple of times, and I was curious, so I did a bit of investigating and found out about the rumors. You met Tobirama twice, but didn’t attack him like most Uchiha would’ve, so I wanted to meet you myself. I asked Madara about you, but he didn’t know anything, and he wasn’t happy with that, so he sent some of his men to deal with you. But then we found out how you easily escaped them, so he and I had to come get you ourselves.” 

“You didn’t have to explain all that to him.” Madara grumbles. 

“What’s the harm?” wonders Hashirama. “It’s not like you’re going to kill him.”

“Who said I wouldn’t?” Madara snaps. 

“Don’t you remember what the Sage said before he died?” Hashirama asks him. “He promised again that he’d return, when the world would fall into a chaotic state of endless war without any sign of stopping. Maybe this was what he was talking about! Maybe Sasuke is the answer to stopping the war and bringing peace!”

That chosen one bullshit all over again. Fuck. Wasn’t this supposed to be Naruto’s job? “It’s a fucking _fairytale_ , Hashirama.” Madara hisses at him. “It’s not real.”

“The Rinnegan was supposed to be a fairytale too.” Hashirama retorts. “But it’s there, right in front of us! How can you not say this is a sign?” He rises to hold onto Madara’s arms desperately. “We have members who have grown weary of the war, but we don’t have any effective way to end the feud between our clans. This might just be it! Don’t you think it’s fate? Look at the facts!”

“What fucking _facts_?”

“Sasuke has the Rinnegan, and he’s an Uchiha. He was discovered by my brother, a Senju. Not to mention, the fact that I’ve never seen Tobirama act this way, like he’s in lo—”

“Okay, okay! I get it.” Madara exclaims, stopping Hashirama from continuing his thought. Sasuke frowns. He could’ve sworn Hashirama was going to say—

Madara wrenches away from the other’s grasp and pinches the bridge of his nose. “You may have a point. It’s worth looking into anyway.” Hashirama grins widely, and Madara just lets out a sigh. “All legends have a ring of truth to them.” 

He shoots Sasuke a suspicious glare. “Before we do anything tough, I need some answers.” he says, before grabbing Sasuke by the collar of his shirt and hoisting him up without hesitation. Sasuke tried not to squirm. “I still refuse to accept that someone like you just manages to stay hidden all these years. There’s more to the story than that. I know it.”

“If you know, then why bother asking?”

Madara narrows his eyes, Mangekyou coming to life. Sasuke suddenly feels like the wood binding him grow tighter and tighter — which is strange, because isn’t the wood from Hashirama? — and it _hurts_. He lets out a ragged, pained breath, and the pain makes his head spin all the more. External pain and internal pain clearly aren’t a good combination. It’s not a pleasant feeling in the slightest, but it’s not enough to make him black out, and he _hates_ it. 

“Tell me,” Madara orders. “How did you do it? Where are you really from?” 

From the side, Hashirama makes a face, but he doesn’t do anything to stop the other Clan Head. He probably wants to know the answer too. 

“You wouldn’t believe me.” Sasuke manages to rasp out. “If I told you.”

“Try me.”

“Fine.” He practically spits. “I’m from the fucking future. My Rinnegan lets me teleport, but I fucked up in my own time when I used it and ended up in this place instead.” 

The two of them are silent, clearly not expecting the answer. Sasuke would roll his eyes if he wasn’t in so much pain at the moment. 

“Huh,” Madara says, and in that moment, the bindings loosen. “At least that explains why your chakra feels so off.” 

* * *

**[ now ]**

The backstory they created for Sasuke that the public generally knows of — one that involves neither time travel nor being a kagema — was that he took jobs as an anonymous mercenary for various countries before he settled down as a guard for an unnamed brothel because they paid well. It explains his background in fighting, at least, and his knowledge on different clans — in hindsight, he probably should’ve hidden the fact that he knew so much, but Izuna accidentally gave a helpful tip to one of the clan’s tacticians, and when asked, said that he heard it from Sasuke, so it isn’t really his fault — though how his identity was only noticed recently, when he was working in the brothel, is suspicious to many. Izuna tells him to ignore the rumors, because they’ll die in due time. 

He doesn’t say it’s because he’s going to be part of the two strongest and scariest clans, but it’s implied. It feels surreal, because not once has Sasuke ever truly thought about getting married, even though part of his ambition back then besides killing his brother was restoring his clan. Getting married to a _Senju_? Even more so. The only Senju he knows in his own time, after all, was Tsunade. 

The ceremony is more or less the same from the ones back in his time— Kiba and Hinata got married around two months before he ended up back in the past, thanks to Sakura and Naruto all but forcibly dragging him there because they all used to be classmates. It probably helps that the Hyuga Clan is just as prestigious as the Uchiha and Senju, so the level of class is the same. 

It’s generally a blur to Sasuke, mostly because the entire process just makes him so uncomfortable. They dress him in white because though they’re both men — the fact that neither clans seem to have a problem with same sex coupling would’ve made him confused if not for the fact that he knew Madara partly agreed to this to spite the elders, who were really the only ones who had an issue with it — he used to work as a kagema, so he’s a lot more “ladylike” than Tobirama would ever be. Sasuke complained a bit to Izuna and a lot more to Madara as the latter brought him to the groom, but it died down when he saw Tobirama and realized how awfully good he looked in black. 

The reception is a lot more insufferable than the ceremony, because at least that one was only comprised of his clan and Tobirama’s. The aftermath of it are the rest of the clans that have gathered, interested in seeing the union come to fruition in public fashion and what it means for the Uchiha and Senju. The more people there are, the more attention he’s given, and the harder it is for Sasuke to zone out. He can recognize some of the families that are there— the Inuzuka with their hounds and cheek tattoos, the Hyuga with their distinct white eyes, the bulky figures of the Akimichi, among others. Because this marriage is the gateway to creating the village Hashirama and Madara desire, the reception is the most important part of this entire process. From a distance, he can see Hashirama, Madara, Mito, Izuna, and a few others he doesn’t recognize get to work, weaving their way through the attendees and making small but valuable talk with the Clan Heads, likely trying to rope them into the idea of joining them in their cause. 

From the corner of his eye, he sees that Tobirama is doing the same thing, tracking their movements, also aware of what they’re doing. Initially, they were meant to help as well in the “recruitment”, but Madara told him to just stay put and look pretty, because it doesn’t look right, having the supposed stars of the night talking politics. 

Dancers are a common form of entertainment when distinguished clan members get married, regardless of who their spouse is. Sasuke remembers the performers during Hinata and Kiba’s wedding to have a style eerily similar to the Hyuga fighting style, firm and precise, stiff in a way that purposeful and full of power, and somehow it became something worth watching. 

The Uchiha, he learns, are the opposite. Their entertainment comes in the form of swift, flowy dances that are acrobatic and relate to fire, which— of course. Sasuke doesn’t even know why he even got surprised. They create floating rings of fire which they easily pass through without a shred of fear, spit out flames from their mouths and toss them around like they’re juggling. Sometimes they even change color, a feat Sasuke never knew could happen. Tobirama lets out an appreciative whistle, and Sasuke, even though he doesn’t know these people despite knowing they’re part of his clan, can’t help but feel a bit of pride, for how their skills impress the Senju.

“It’s very beautiful.” Tobirama comments in a whisper, leaning a bit closer so that he can be heard amidst the awed murmurings and comments from the spectators. His hair tickles Sasuke’s cheek. “Do you know how to do that?”

Sasuke shakes his head. Tobirama doesn’t say anything more than that, and his expression gives nothing away, but Sasuke can’t help but fear the possibility that Tobirama will ask, at some point, for him to learn. Technically, he knows how to dance. Aoi made him learn, and he agreed because he couldn’t entertain customers any other way besides sex because he only had one arm and couldn’t learn how to play the shamisen. He didn’t even need to sneak around with the Sharingan to learn. According to Kaoru, who admitted this with open distaste, Sasuke was a natural. 

Sasuke watches the dancers and wonders if it might be an Uchiha thing. 

The most awkward thing that occurs during the whole thing was someone asking them about children, how they were planning on continuing their bloodline when they were both men, or if they were planning on adding a third party into the mix just for reproduction. Sasuke couldn’t resist making a face and refused to reply, but it was Tobirama who answered, saying that he wasn’t particularly interested in having kids in the first place when he was more preoccupied with his work as the second-in-command of the Senju’s military force and the research of new jutsu. He sounded like he meant it, which was a strange relief to Sasuke. He didn’t know why the idea of Tobirama getting a woman pregnant just to produce an heir bothered him. 

(There’s no question when it comes to Sasuke’s own opinion. Even if he wasn’t being treated as the “woman” in this relationship — it’s not actually that offensive in the first place, he realizes, because in the end, it’s the women who have everyone wrapped around their finger; not men — he wouldn’t want to have a child. He doesn’t think he’ll ever be ready for one, and he isn’t really a kids-person in the first place.)

They leave shortly after the speeches— Madara’s is so painfully sarcastic it hurts, Izuna’s is thankfully a lot better, albeit a bit awkward, and Hashirama’s is so heartfelt it’s sickening. Though Sasuke cringes, Tobirama simply flushes with a small grateful smile on his face, and Sasuke ends up thinking that it’s not so bad, after all. 

The carriage ride to the Senju Compound is silent. Sasuke opts to stare out through the window and let the exhaustion from the entire day sink in. He should get used to being tired just from sitting still by now, because there hasn’t really been much to do ever since he left the brothel, but he can’t. He doesn’t think he’ll be making anymore progress when he gets to their new home too, because it’s another foreign environment he’ll have to adapt to. 

“I’m sorry we couldn’t bring in your family from the brothel.” Tobirama suddenly says, breaking the silence inside. 

Sasuke blinks. “I didn’t grow up there, you know.” he says. “It was just the first place I went to when I landed here. They aren’t actually my— you know.”

He says that, but he doesn’t really mean it. He just doesn’t want to admit the fact that they mean something special to him aloud, because he’s been doing a damn good job at not really thinking about them, because it hurts. They probably would’ve been ecstatic if they were invited, not only because it was a big event, but because it was about Sasuke, and it was with a previous client of theirs. They’d cause a ruckus in their own right. Either Kaoru or Gin would pretend to sabotage the occasion because they like making Sasuke’s life harder like that, Megumi would say how jealous she is because Sasuke’s “found love” before she has when he wasn’t even looking for it, and Aoi would probably be the one giving the speech instead of Madara. 

He cuts off his train of thought. No point in dwelling it now. The wedding is officially over anyway. For a moment, he wonders if they’ll somehow manage to get the news about his current whereabouts and status. 

“Why there then?” Tobirama asks. “Why didn’t you go to your own clan?”

“We may be of the same clan because we’re Uchiha, but they aren’t really _my_ clan. They aren’t the clan I know, anyway.” Sasuke says. “I was— still am, I suppose — a lot more familiar with that brothel as compared to the Uchiha of this time, because that place still exists in where I come from.” He stumbled across it during one of his travels, helping them with a small scuffle that involved a group of men threatening to destroy the place if they didn’t give them this one courtesan they wanted, despite the fact that she left weeks ago with her lover. “I’m acquaintances with the owner in my time. She’s an old lady, granddaughter of the current owner, Aoi, if you remember her. Their system is still the same; they have no allegiances, and they’re welcoming to anyone so long as they can contribute something to the business. That’s all that matters to them.” Sasuke likes neutrality, the idea of taking no sides. Having a side means having a conflict, after all, and he didn’t want to be part of any sort of war when he just got out of one himself only recently. 

Tobirama hums. “Do you want to go back? To your own time, I mean.” 

Sasuke shrugs. “In the first place, I don’t really understood how I got here in the first place, so it doesn’t matter. I know it has something to do with my eye, but there isn’t enough information about the dojutsu for me to be able to do anything.” Doing a trial and error doesn’t seem worth the risk anyway. He doesn’t want to redo his entire life if he ends up in the wrong time. 

“I can help you, you know. If you want.” Tobirama says. “I’m sure there’s a jutsu somewhere that can do the trick.” 

Sasuke doesn’t know any time-traveling techniques from his era, but he wouldn’t put it past Tobirama to be able to make one now that he has a reason to, because he’s also the one who made the Edo Tensei. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to get rid of me.” Sasuke glances at him. “Why do you care so much?”

It’s Tobirama’s turn to shrug. “I don’t understand it— you.” he says. “How you haven’t really made it a priority to find a way back. You’re the type of person who wouldn’t be stopped by even the impossible, as long as it’s something you truly want.”

Sasuke wants to ask how Tobirama could know that, how could he be so _sure_ , but he stops himself. “It’s because I don’t.” he admits. That’s why he started traveling so much, after he was pardoned for his crimes and released from prison. He wanted to be as far away from Konoha as possible. He liked the people there, but he didn’t like what it stood for, what it sacrificed for what it claimed to be the “greater good”. He will always think— always _believe_ , that there could’ve been a better way. And he knows that Naruto, for certain, will strive to reform the village that won’t need to do things like that anymore, but it’s not enough for Sasuke. At least not when the wound still felt too fresh. So he needed to stay away, just to stop picking at it. 

To an extent, his wish came true. He’s never been farther from the village his whole life. It hasn’t even been made yet, even if he’s playing a big part in its creation. 

“It’s not that bad, after all.” he adds. Though he misses Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi, misses the members of Taka despite how they all went their separate ways the moment the war was over and he was sent to Konoha prison, it’s not enough to push him to really want to return. They remind him too much of his past, and while Kakashi has said more than once that there was nothing wrong with remembering it, regardless of how bloodstained it may be, Sasuke has always wanted to start anew. “Being here.”

“Really?”

Sasuke looks at Tobirama. Under the moonlight that slips through the window to illuminate the cart they’re in, there’s a unique glow around him that Sasuke’s never noticed before. It makes him look like ethereal, to the point where it doesn’t seem _real_ , and Sasuke resists the urge to lift his hand and reach out to him, just to be sure that Tobirama truly is there in the flesh, and not a trick of the mind. 

“Yeah.” he says softly instead. _Better than being back there,_ he doesn’t say. When he couldn’t truly change a thing. 

Tobirama smiles, almost like he just _knows_ , and something in Sasuke flutters. 

* * *

**[ before ]**

Madara and Hashirama spend half an hour arguing as to where Sasuke would stay. 

(“He’s an Uchiha, so he stays with us.” Madara says firmly. 

“Less than three hours ago you were saying how you were going to kill him!” Hashirama replies, indignant. “He should stay with us. We’re guaranteed to treat him right. I can guarantee it; Tobirama can guarantee it.”

“You’re forgetting where they met.” Madara points out. “What guarantee do you have that he won’t pounce on this brat like the mutt he is the moment he sees him?” 

The thing is, it isn’t like Sasuke’s a virgin. And it’s not like he’s never had sex with Tobirama either. That’s Madara’s entire point in the first place. Still, it doesn’t stop Sasuke from blushing a deep shade of red at how shameless Madara’s declarations are regarding what he and Tobirama would do the moment they saw each other, even if the two times they met more or less went exactly as how the Uchiha Clan Head guessed it would. For Sasuke to still get embarrassed over something like this feels ridiculous, unlike his character. It isn’t like he’d just let Tobirama do as he pleased anyway. Everything that happens to Sasuke happens because he lets it. It’s insulting that Madara would insinuate that Sasuke can’t fend for himself under Tobirama and his . . . animalistic intentions, which aren’t even accurate. Sasuke would know better than Madara; after all, he’s the one who had sex with Tobirama. 

Hashirama sputters. “My brother is more dignified than that!” 

Madara ignores him and goes on. “Not to mention that the elders will throw a fit if they find out that there’s a clansmen of ours in _your_ territory.” He huffs. “We need to do this the professional way, Hashirama. Since this was _your_ grand idea, send in a proposal first, and then we can go from there. In the meantime, tell him to keep his dick in his pants. You are not taking this piece of shit home as a sex toy for your brother to enjoy. He is more valuable than just that.” 

Later on, Sasuke would note that this was the only Madara said anything remotely positive about him.)

In the end, the Uchiha Compound wins. 

He expects that’ll more or less be the end of it for a while. Two weeks, at most. Though Hashirama and Madara clearly are friends, the fact that the Uchiha doesn’t even let Hashirama step in his clan grounds means that he won’t be seeing him anytime soon until he gets that official proposal Madara wants him to make. Sasuke is pretty sure making those things take time, especially when it has to go through an array of people for approval first. 

His first few days there are incredibly eventful, in the sense that he’s made to sit in front of the important Uchiha figures and be thoroughly interrogated in order for them to determine if he’s a threat or not. It’s technically made to satisfy their curiosity; Madara is the most paranoid out of them all, and if he’s brought Sasuke alive and wants them to take him in, they will, though not without kicking up a fuss for the sake of drama. 

Everyone in the clan knows he came from a brothel, but the time travel part had to stay secret, so he lies and says that he’s never known his biological parents and was instead taken in by a random couple who found him when he was still an infant by their doorstep, his biological apparently abandoning him because there was no father to support them. His guardians, adopted parents, died around a year ago during battle. Sasuke, with no place to go, roamed around as a homeless skill with a pretty face and some knowledge on fighting until he stumbled across the brothel and sought refuge there. 

They buy it, surprisingly enough, but it turns out that the reason for that is because they wouldn’t put it past one of their own clan members accidentally planting his seed in some random place and completely forgetting about it and the possible effects it can bring— namely a child. It doesn’t matter, in the end, because his Sharingan — no Mangekyou and Rinnegan; another secret Madara wants Sasuke to keep from them, which Sasuke actually agrees with — is authentic in every sense, and he looks too Uchiha for them to just dismiss him. 

He’d like to think that the questioning about his identity and the certainty that he’s an Uchiha would be the end of it, but he also knows that Madara not only approached the elders regarding Sasuke’s existence, but also about how he’s going to be their solution to finding peace with the Senju Clan. Sasuke doesn’t get to hear that bit about him, and he didn’t get to listen in to Hashirama and Madara’s conversation about it on the way back when they bringing him along — a result of Madara choosing to knock Sasuke out for more than half of the whole trip because he didn’t want Sasuke to try to find a way to run away, as if he was in any condition to do that sort of thing — but he has a feeling he knows what it is. 

(He still knows what Hashirama would’ve said if Madara hadn’t interrupted him that time.) 

Sasuke hasn’t even been in the Uchiha Compound for a week when he sees Hashirama again, on an early Friday morning shortly after breakfast had ended, as he’s making his way past the halls to get back to his room. Hashirama cheerfully waves at him. Sasuke just grunts in reply before sliding the door to his quarters open and slipping inside without hesitation. He slams the door shut loudly on purpose. The day’s only started, but he feels ridiculously tired, and he sure as hell doesn’t want to deal with Hashirama and whatever political matter he and Madara have dragged him into in the moment. 

“Did something happen?” Hashirama asks, still right outside the room, after a few seconds of silence. 

Madara, who had been following Sasuke the way back, just sighs. “You know kids,” he says, making a move to walk away. “He’s just throwing a tantrum.”

  
  


It’s just in time for dinner when Sasuke wakes up, and he tries not to think too hard about the perfect timing there. Somehow, he knows Hashirama is still in the compound, even though he hasn’t seen him yet and he’s not in the dining hall when he enters. There aren’t any Uchiha inside, which is surprising. He suspects Madara, who isn’t there, likely told them to have an early dinner just so they can use the space to host their Senju guests, though Sasuke thinks having a meeting in the dining area isn’t that formal. 

What’s more surprising, however, is that Tobirama is in the room. 

Sasuke only pauses for a moment by the doorframe, but Tobirama seems to catch it. He gives him a stiff nod of acknowledgement; it feels off-putting compared to how relaxed and easygoing Tobirama had seemed back at the brothel, despite how the difference is only there by a fraction. Sasuke resents how he’s a bit too good at noticing things. 

“You look better without the henge.” Tobirama starts.

Sasuke grimaces. “How did you know?”

“The first night I was there.” he says. “You put it down after we did it and I fell asleep. I woke up at some point and saw you smoking by the windowsill, and your appearance was different. Same thing when I saw you fight.” 

Shit. Sasuke unintentionally put his guard down and let the disguise fade away. A stupid move on his part. 

“You knew then, from the start,” he comments. 

“I knew you a suspicious figure.” Tobirama replies. “I didn’t know you were an Uchiha until the second night, during your fight. I caught a glimpse of your Sharingan.”

Even from that distance? Sasuke is vaguely bewildered. Then again, this is Tobirama. He ends up becoming one of Konoha’s strongest shinobi, and the village itself is unofficially hailed as on top of everyone else in terms of military strength. 

“But you didn’t say anything about it.” Sasuke points out, remembering how Hashirama explained how he found Sasuke, and what that implied. Tobirama didn’t even act any differently towards Sasuke after he figured it out, besides choosing to strike up a conversation with Sasuke on hypothetical battle situations and tactics. He’s pretty sure that’s not how you react towards suspicious individuals, especially those who are members of your clan’s enemy. “Did you?”

Tobirama shrugs instead of answering, almost like he’s uncomfortable. Sasuke can’t help but frown slightly. 

Before Sasuke can say anything more, the door slides open, and Hashirama and a red-haired woman enter. They give him their own form of non-verbal acknowledgements before taking their place beside Tobirama. 

“Where’s Madara?” Sasuke asks, the question directed at Hashirama, sitting in front of his food tray. 

“He wanted to give us some time to talk.” Hashirama answers. Sasuke just nods and waits for the rest of them to start eating before he picks up his food as well. The gesture, apparently, doesn’t go unnoticed. The redhead and Hashirama share a glance. 

“What?” Sasuke says, because he doesn’t want them to think he didn’t see them. 

The woman shakes her head. “The Uchiha, even at their most civil, try to be as disrespectful as possible around the presence of the Senju. I’m simply surprised, that you would do something like that, especially given the history of our clans.” 

“Waiting for others to eat before you do it yourself isn’t a sign of respect. It’s a sign of submission.” Sasuke points out, though _sometimes_ hosts do it when there are guests, which may be where she’s coming from. He knows it’s only a common custom around civilians, not for clans; _especially_ big ones like theirs. Really, they’re just some manners Aoi taught him while he worked as a courtesan. He doesn’t have any desire to be particularly respectful towards any of the Senju across him, but habits die hard, and the food is mackerel, so he isn’t that desperate to eat immediately anyway. “And we Uchiha are proud people.”

“Yet you didn’t hesitate to throw your pride away like that.” she points out. Hashirama lets out an alarmed, “ _Mito”_ , almost as if begging her to not talk any longer in case she irks Sasuke, but she turns to him and says, “Don’t worry. I just want to know what he has to say.” Her eyes are alight with curiosity, like she’s trying to predict how he would respond. 

Sasuke shrugs. “Why should I rest my pride on a small gesture like that?” he questions. “Despite what you might think, it’s not that symbolic.” 

Suddenly, Hashirama laughs. It’s a deep and boisterous sound, a reflection of his entire personality. He’s clearly amused by Sasuke’s reply, and so is Mito, judging from the smile that creeps on her face. At least Madara isn’t here. He’s sure he would’ve thrown a fit if he caught Sasuke talking like that, even if it was with the Senju. “You’re really interesting, you know? No wonder Tobirama fell in love with you. You’re not at all like most courtesans.” 

Sasuke absolutely does not expect the declaration at all, so for a few moments, he’s at a loss for words. He also doesn’t know if he’s supposed to be flattered or offended by the comment. 

“Right,” he just says, dragging out the word. Then he looks down at his food, almost awkwardly, and then starts to eat because he doesn’t want the conversation to continue anymore. 

Tobirama glares at Hashirama. For which comment, Sasuke doesn’t know, but it could probably be both. There’s a slight flush on his cheeks, only visible because his skin is generally fairer than most, so it might just be the former one. 

Either Hashirama doesn’t notice, or he doesn’t care, because he just grins broadly, apparently satisfied with what he’s said. “No need to be shy.” he says. “It’s why the marriage is taking place, after all.”

Sasuke sets down the cup he’s holding carefully. He isn’t surprised, because they’re all pretty terrible at hiding it — the entire setup felt like a marriage interview, and the way Mito was speaking to him felt a test of some sorts — but actually _hearing_ it still throws him off guard. 

“Marriage?” he echoes, incredulous. 

“It’s how we’re going to put an end to the feud between the Senju and Uchiha.” Tobirama suddenly says, finally choosing to speak up. “A political marriage.”

“It’s perfect, really. The Senju Council has already approved; your elders are already halfway through being convinced by Madara.” Hashirama says, nodding his head. “Just think about it! A prominent member of the Senju and an Uchiha who may just be the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths — not that it’s going to be public information — strengthening and officiating their union through marriage.” he explains. “You aren’t strangers either; the fact that you have attraction towards one another is a bonus.” 

They say it like an afterthought, but Sasuke knows that this is probably the main reason why this entire agreement is taking place. Though he doesn’t doubt Tobirama wouldn’t object to any sort of political marriage so long as it ensures peace — he’d think their obsession with peace to be ridiculous if not for the fact that he’s seen the impact of war — he clearly prefers Sasuke, which is why they aren’t marrying him off to someone else, like a _girl_ , for starters, and why Hashirama is so invested in this deal. The fact that he has a Rinnegan is such a small justification as to why it has to be Sasuke that it feels like an excuse, especially because that’s not the public reason they’re making a low-level Uchiha member marry a high-ranked Senju. It probably makes for a compelling romance too, when people will hear why this marriage is happening. True love and all that. 

Because Hashirama is the Senju Clan Head, yes, but he’s also Tobirama’s older brother. Pushing through with this means that he’ll be doing something for the sake of his clan _and_ make his brother happy. He’s killing two birds with one stone. 

Sasuke and his opinions don’t factor into the equation at all. Though Tobirama has romantic feelings for Sasuke, he knows that in the end, he has no one truly on his side. 

No one powerful enough to make a difference anyway.

In the side, Tobirama subtly shifts in his position, the only sign that he’s a bit uncomfortable with— the situation, Sasuke is guessing, even though he’s technically getting everything he wants. He puts up a good front of being stoic and professional. Hashirama and Mito don’t notice it, but Sasuke does.

He scowls at himself for even paying attention. 

  
  


“You don’t look happy.” Madara comments later when he sees Sasuke. The latter doesn’t bother asking where he’s been. The Senjus left around an hour ago, despite how late it already was. Madara was apparently against letting them stay the night, but Hashirama found it amusing and wasn’t offended in the slightest. “Do you hate that silver brat that much?”

Sasuke makes a face. “Is everyone a brat to you?” he snaps, and Madara just raises an eyebrow at him. Sasuke sighs. “No.” he says, and it’s . . . true. What he hated was the Tobirama who planted the seeds of doubt in Konoha against the Uchiha clan, but for one, the village hasn’t even been formed yet, and secondly, Tobirama fucking _likes_ him. He has no idea why, doesn’t really _want_ to know why, but it’s enough for him to make his initial hatred from when he first saw him dissipate. Tobirama hadn’t actually done anything wrong. And it’s supposed to be a _not yet_ , but Sasuke had known, the moment Hashirama and Madara found him — heck, the moment he entered the room back in Aoi’s brothel and realized that Tobirama was his client — that history will change. “Would it be easier if I did?”

“No.” Madara answers. “You might as well make the most out of it.”

“Right.” Sasuke replies, rather resigned, before making his way back to his room. 

* * *

**[ now ]**

It takes around four months — Sasuke still doesn’t know how he’s managed to last that long — but it’s worth it when he sees the utterly surprised and elated look on Aoi’s face when she sees Sasuke’s figure a half a mile away from where she’s tidying up the front entrance of the brothel. 

They don’t close just because of Sasuke’s unexpected visit, but Tobirama said that he could stay for more than a day, so Sasuke’s planning on staying overnight to make the most out of his stay. 

Sasuke waits in his old quarters, which have been turned into Kaoru’s new room since he used to share one with Gin. Sasuke remarks how much of a lucky bastard Gin now is because he has something to himself, and Aoi laughs. He doesn’t have to wait long to see the rest of them. He makes small talk with Aoi to kill time as to how the brothel’s been doing ever since he’s been gone, because he’s supposed to reserve his side of the story for when they all come. 

Everyone is usually tired after work is over, but that’s not the case tonight. Though most of the courtesans here leave at some point — always out of their own free will, because Aoi sees everyone there as her child — coming back isn’t that common, even if they’re close to the remaining members. The fact that Sasuke’s returned is sort of a big deal, even if he’s only really close to a few. 

“How’s the married life?” is the first thing Gin asks, after he practically barrels Sasuke into a hug the moment he, Kaoru, and Megumi enter Kaoru’s room, where Sasuke and Aoi have been staying in for the psat few hours before the establishment officially closed for the night. 

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. Gin pulls away and sits down beside his things. “How’d you know?”

“Word got around that the Uchiha and the Senju finally stopped fighting and allied with one another with a marriage between two members.” Kaoru answers. “Figured it’d be you and that handsome client of yours. ‘Sides, your husband’s a big-shot, apparently, and they said that the nobody he married— you, namely — used to work in the brothel as a guard.”

“Thanks.” Sasuke replies dryly. Kaoru gives him a smug smirk. 

“They didn’t mention the fact that you used to work there as a courtesan? I’m not that surprised. Big clans and their massive egos.” Megumi huffs. “I thought you’d bloom after marriage, but you look the exact same. Maybe settling down isn’t as great as people say it is.”

“You’re literally the only one who says that.” Gin points out, but he isn’t really paying attention, far more interested in the bag Sasuke brought over for them. He takes out one of the green bottles and whistles. “Whoa, this looks fancy. Is it alcohol?”

“No.” The brothel had enough of those. “It’s some high-class drink that’s meant to calm your nerves. I got a shit ton of them as wedding gifts, but there’s enough of them back at the compound where I live in.” Tobirama told him that these drinks are common for relatively well-off warrior clans, since it’s what they drink in celebrations after a victory. It’s to gradually wash away the adrenaline, so that the crash won’t be too devastating. It also supposedly has numbing capabilities, so they’re less likely to complain about the pain while they’re being treated for injuries, but even if you drink a lot, it’ll never be enough to really fuck up your brain and drown everything up. In other words, there’s no way to get high or drunk on this shit. The most it’ll do is make you sleepy. 

Sasuke has no idea why he’s never heard of this drink in the future. 

“Cool. Is it sweet?” Kaoru asks, already reaching over to snatch the bottle from Gin’s hands and screwing the cap open. No one’s bothered that what he’s basically giving them are spares, because they know when to appreciate something or not. Plus, Gin was right. They’re fancy, expensive. 

“Yup. But not that much.” Sasuke says. “If you still want to tone down the sweetness, they said to eat it with something bland. Like bread.” 

Gin goes and gets cups for them to drink from while Aoi brings the rest of the bottles to the pantry. Sasuke’s only drank the beverage a handful of times, but he still marvels at the taste like he did the first time Tobirama let him try it along with the others. 

“You never answered Kaoru’s question, you know.” Megumi points out. “What’s life like as a married man?”

“What do you want me to say?” Sasuke says, pouring himself another cup. He’d usually drink it leisurely and pace himself properly when he drinks with Tobirama or any of his other family members — it took a long while for them to warm up to him, and so far, they can only have a decent time when they’re drinking shit like this. Despite what Tobirama says, Sasuke still thinks it’s a bit like alcohol in its own right — but his polite habits have been waning since he only does it around anyone that isn’t Tobirama or Hashirama. (It’s a sign of how comfortable he is with them, according to Hashirama, which is why he encourages it, though for Sasuke, it’s really just because he’s too tired to bother putting up pretenses around them. Sasuke would do it with Mito too, except she likes how well-mannered he is around her as compared to his other Uchiha clansmen. He suspects it’s because the Uzumaki and Uchiha don’t have a stellar relationship, even though it was never as bad as with the Senju.) He practically downs it in one go here, because he knows none of them are going to judge them for his behaviour. 

Megumi shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe that it’s great? He’s treating you well? You get all these nice perks to now being part of two prestigious clans? He’s even better as your husband than your client? Fucking _anything_.”

Sasuke leans back against the wall. It’s not exactly like anything she was saying was false, besides the fact that there wasn’t any real perks to being part of the Uchiha and Senju. For the entire first month, no one in the Senju besides Tobirama, Hashirama, and Mito would even willingly strike up a conversation with him that wasn’t full of hostility, and they didn’t like it when Sasuke would roam around the corridors, finding something to do since he was put on house arrest so he can adjust to his new living situation, and for both clans to get used to what it meant for them to have an alliance. 

Tobirama doesn’t really treat him any differently than he did before. Of course, the main difference is that they went from scarce but meaningful interactions to seeing each other almost every day. He doesn’t really seem any different than how he was as a client, either. They banter a bit, make small talk from things like what they did for the day to battle tactics, and they’re more relaxed when they’re around each other. Tobirama was supposedly a different person when he was around Sasuke, a lot more open and happier, but that’s to be expected. They are married, after all. He’s also a lot more open about his affections too; sometimes he leaves to go on expeditions for his “research” or anything he has to settle about the still on-going but slowly dying war — which he can’t take Sasuke with, not until the Senju have actually developed a lot more trust in him — and always brings something home for Sasuke, things he thinks the younger will like or stuff he wants him to try out. Usually, they tend to be scrolls with a plethora of information about disputes. 

(“What am I, your strategist or your husband?” Sasuke had teased once, huffing when Tobirama had presented him another set of scrolls after coming back from one of his travels. Despite Sasuke’s words, all the previous data Tobirama had given him had the usual detailed notes and comments that were both insightful and questionable, but no less useful. 

“My strategist husband.” Tobirama concluded, and Sasuke rolled his eyes, muttered a half-hearted _screw you_ , and went back to work. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do anyway.)

Tobirama also still sleeps like a log, so at least Sasuke can freely shuffle out of their shared bed almost every other night to just stare at the sky or do something else to occupy his mind. The Senjus guarding him also complain about that tendency of his, but no one’s stopped him yet. 

Sasuke just shrugs. “It’s not that different from before.” Sasuke’s a lot more reciprocating of Tobirama than he was before though, which he supposes is a change worth noting. It’s not by much — Sasuke’s never even willingly held his hand — but he doesn’t put up much of a fuss when he’s given things and he isn’t that evasive whenever Tobirama says or hints at something particularly romantic. He used to think he was doing it because they had to keep up appearances, but he knows, deep down, that the other is gradually making his way past Sasuke’s defenses, and Sasuke’s guard is lowering itself for him, because he doesn’t even mind them like before. He doesn’t really know if it’s love, but he does know that it’s— it’s something new for him. 

And not something he really wants to talk about with any of them. Not when he hasn’t really figured it out yet. He knows, without a doubt, they’d give their own two cents about the matter; if he verbalizes it, it means that it has to be something he needs to resolve immediately, which he doesn’t want. 

“Man, you’re boring.” Gin whines. “Hey, Megumi-san, when you get married, please have a more interesting life than him. I bet all he does is do chores, read, and work out.”

Sasue chooses not to take offense to that, because Gin technically isn’t wrong. 

Megumi nods dutifully before emptying the contents of her cup in a second. “Don’t worry. I doubt that’d be hard, kiddo.” 

“Maybe you should bring him next time you come visit.” Kaoru notes. “Tobirama-san, right? Maybe he could give us some dirt on Sasuke-san.” 

“Fat chance of that happening,” Sasuke says. “As if I’ve done anything embarrassing enough worth blackmail material.”

“For what it’s worth,” Megumi states. “I’m sure anything Tobirama-san will say about Sasuke would pale to all the shit Gin’s gotten into while he was gone.”

Gin yells loudly in protest at being called out. It prompts Megumi to launch into telling Sasuke about all the ridiculous things Gin has been doing in his attempt to try and take over Sasuke’s place. From the corner of his eye, he sees the warm smile on Aoi’s face. 

  
  


It’s a bittersweet occasion when he has to say goodbye to them the next day, but ultimately ends on a good note, because Sasuke promises he’ll visit sometime soon. The trip back to the Senju — he insisted on going by foot rather than a carriage or any other transportation, and while Tobirama put up a fight at first, in the end, the less attention he attracted, the better — would take almost an entire day if he goes without stop, and since this has been Sasuke’s first time out of the compound since his wedding, he’s going to make the most out of this. If for some reason he has the urge to head back before the day’s over and he’s falling behind on schedule, he could always use the Rinnegan to speed up his arrival. As long as the distance won’t be impossibly long. 

Since he takes a path that involves the least chances of any fighting occurring, he finds that nothing’s really changed from when he first left the brothel to try and drop the Uchiha chasing after him. It’s a serene journey, admiring the greenery and the open area he’s constantly surrounded with. Sometimes he’ll pass by a few other traveling folk or even some shinobi making their way towards the destination of their next battle — Tobirama says the skirmishes in the Land of Fire has been steadily decreasing ever since the alliance between Senju and Uchiha, so they’re relatively spread out and small-scale, but they’re still there, and they somehow manage to kick up a big enough fuss that they’re worth noticing — though in the end, it’s more or less uneventful. 

Hashirama and Madara’s plan for a village are slow in the works, but definitely happening. The wedding between Sasuke and Tobirama ended with some clans pledging allegiance to the two big warrior families, and others considering it. Hashirama was so happy he proceeded to start telling Sasuke all about the detailed plans he and Madara had about the village even though they promised one another that they wouldn’t reveal jackshit to anyone until it was official, but Sasuke mostly tuned him out, because he actually lived in the time period where those plans were implemented and flourished. He doesn’t actually need to know any of it; it’s probably why Madara didn’t put up much of a fuss when he found out it was only Sasuke Hashirama told. 

Still, though he has a strong feeling that the formation of the village is going to be the same as he remembers it to be in textbooks, he knows that there’s also a chance things in the future will change, and all that everything he’s grown up knowing about history will be useless. It’s scary, acknowledging that possibility — that inevitability — of him just not knowing what lies ahead, but in the end, that’s what the future is supposed to be. Uncertain. Unknown. 

Not even the avoidance of his clan’s demise is for sure. At least he knows it won’t be because of a Senju. He knows the heads of the clans won’t allow for that. Not with this union. Not when Tobirama is ridiculously head over heels for Sasuke. Sasuke even has the jewelry to prove it — two golden rings on one hand, the only thing Tobirama was actually rather assertive of with Sasuke. He wanted him to wear it at all times. Sasuke found it weird, especially because he never said why, but obeyed anyway. Unconsciously, he twists the rings on his finger.

Though earlier he was intending on making the most out of the long journey back, now, he can’t help but think about how he wants to already be in the Senju Compound. Maybe he should bring Tobirama with him when he visits Aoi and the others again. It would ease the other’s worries, at least, about Sasuke’s safety. 

The thought still makes Sasuke scoff. As if he couldn’t take care of himself. 

Late afternoon eventually approaches, and Sasuke knows he’s more than halfway through the trip. If he maintains his pace, he’ll probably get to the compound in the late night, which is more or less on schedule. He had a late lunch, and he ate a lot too, so at least he won’t be stopping for anymore meal breaks. He isn’t tired either, which helps. It really feels good, being able to stretch his legs like this, to feel less suffocated by seeing the same things over and over. 

He passes by a small rice field that makes him think of Otogakure, even though he knows he knows he’s still in the Land of Fire, as he walks past a bystander who is seated on the edge of the sidewalk, playing a tune with a shamisen on her lap, face masked under a large hat, and Sasuke thinks it’s even more ironic. 

Five steps forward, and he feels a faint thrumming through his bones matching the rhythm of the song, like the sound has went from his ears to inside his body. He can still hear the tune though, but it’s like listening to it through murky water — distant and muted.

Then he realizes he can’t move his legs, feels like wire is tightly coiled around them and squeezing him so tightly that it could just burst. They’re becoming numb. 

He slowly turns to the musician, who looks up at him with brown eyes under her purple hair. It’s then does he realize that the shamisen’s pegs are shaped like kunai, and the way the strings glisten reminds him of steel wires. He tries activating his Sharingan, but for some reason, he can’t access his chakra. 

“Shit.” he says. Beneath the hat is a wide, malicious grin that greets him, and he knows he’s fucked. 

He can feel the wires slowly making their way up to the rest of his body, wrapped around him so tightly to the point where he can’t feel anything, and he knows it’s genjutsu. One brought about by the sound of that shamisen, giving the illusion of wires binding him when in truth there’s nothing. Sasuke still can’t feel his legs, and that’s not good, because he needs to move, and he can’t use his dojutsu to get rid of the genjutsu. His inability to access his chakra might have something to do with her as well. 

He doesn’t even hesitate. Before the wire can creep up to his arms, he draws his chokuto out and slices through his left leg. The numbness and wires dissipates in an instant, and he turns his entire body to the woman’s direction and throws his sword at her. She evades it by jumping up, and lands on the handle with ease. Sasuke’s leg faintly throbs, and he still can’t use his Sharingan. At least he can feel his chakra again, but he can’t direct it to his eyes, like there’s some sort of barrier in the pathways that lead to it. He thought that his inability to use access his chakra was due to the genjutsu, but even though he’s broken out of it, he still can’t activate his dojutsu. 

He can’t seem to focus anything into his hands either. So maybe her technique just blocks certain chakra pathways in his body. At least he totally isn’t out of commission. And even if he was, it isn’t like he always needs chakra to be able to fight fine. He’s a skilled swordsman, after all, but to move like one requires being swift, and though his leg wound isn’t deep, he knows it’ll deter him from the fighting style he usually has with a blade. 

“Cat got your tongue?” the woman asks, noticing his lack of speech. 

Sasuke just narrows his eyes. “What do you want?”

“From you? Your death.” she answers. “Your family may be successful in brainwashing the rest of the Land of Fire clans into working for them, but mine refuses to be fooled.”

“I don’t even know what your clan is.” Sasuke remarks dryly. 

“Of course you don’t.” she growls. “All you high and mighty ones are the exact fucking same.”

With a wire string of his own — he’s grateful he remembered to pack a small arsenal before leaving, even if he had been relatively confident that he wouldn’t need it — he retracts hand back and pulls the sword back to him. The movement momentarily catches her off guard, so mid-air she’s clumsy, but still manages to land gracefully on the ground. She’s lost her chance for an attack though, something that doesn’t happen to Sasuke, who launches a fireball at her direction while he gets his chokuto back. 

She’s able to avoid that too, and her fingers pluck the strings of the shamisen. Sasuke tenses, expecting something like another genjutsu, but instead, more wires emerge from the shamisen, and it’s like they have a will of their own, aiming themselves right at Sasuke. 

He’s about to jump back to divert the attack, but he realizes he can’t move his arm. Looking down, he sees that there’s a wire that doesn’t belong to him wrapped around, and he silently curses himself from not noticing it. It doesn’t help that these wires aren’t easy to break, and Sasuke also only has one arm. Scowling, he quickly uses his bound arm to make a single hand sign, and quickly glances at the woman. She notices the gesture as she lands on the exact same spot the chokuto was in earlier, seeing the paper bombs when it’s already too late. They go off, and her shamisen flies away, among other things. 

It’s supposed to be the end of it, but the wires from mid-air are still making their way towards him, and he still can’t dodge them, the wire as secure as ever. Fuck. At least the enemy is dead. 

He braces for the attack that’s most definitely going to leave him with many cuts, but the feeling of wire slicing through his skin doesn’t come. 

Instead, he feels weightless, arm freed and feet no longer on the ground. One of Tobirama’s hands holds a kunai charged with chakra, which he used to cut off the wire holding Sasuke down, while he carries the younger in his arms. The wires that were rushing to Sasuke fall to the ground, unable to pierce through the blue dome purely made of chakra, looking somewhat similar to a Hyuga technique Sasuke’s seen Neji do before back in their genin days. 

“What the fuck,” Sasuke states, completely shocked by what just happened. 

“Sorry I’m late.” Tobirama apologizes. The dome fades, and Sasuke watches as the smoke from the explosion clears. The woman’s corpse is all scorched up. “I came as soon as I noticed your chakra acting strange.” 

“You teleported.” Sasuke says, bewildered. The fact that Tobirama is keeping tabs on his chakra activity isn’t really something new. He’s a worry-wart; he does the same to Hashirama too, even though Hashirama is supposed to be the overprotective one, being the eldest, and he’s stronger than Tobirama too. Sasuke hated it at first, but it wasn’t like he could do anything about it. 

“Yup,” Tobirama says with a grin. He looks awfully proud. “A new technique I made. I call it Hiraishin. I actually created it taking a bit of inspiration from your Rinnegan’s capabilities, but I have to use an object to be able to teleport.” He looks down at Sasuke’s hand, and it’s when the latter realizes he’s referring to the ring. No wonder he always insisted on Sasuke bringing that around. 

“Huh,” is all Sasuke can muster, because he’s still surprised. Tobirama chuckles. 

“You’re filthy.” he comments. Sasuke looks down, and sees that most of the dirt that’s stained his clothes is from the explosion and not from anything else. It’s technically his fault, but he still makes a face in disgust. “We should run you a bath when we get back.”

Tobirama insists on carrying Sasuke for the remainder of the trip because he’s injured. The only reason Sasuke doesn’t argue back and insist that he’s fine is because he’s more preoccupied with testing his chakra pathways again, and he needs to concentrate a lot more than he usually does to do it, just to see if whatever the woman did to him had any lasting effects. Fortunately, he can use his Sharingan and Rinnegan, and create a Chidori, but there’s a small sting he feels when he recedes them. He hopes it’ll fade soon. It would be a lot easier if he had a medic nin with him, someone like Sakura, but they don’t have medical ninjutsu in this time period. Tsunade hasn’t been born yet, after all. 

It’s late when they finally return — Tobirama apparently unable to use the Hiraishin Jutsu of his more than once, not when this was technically his first time using it — so everyone is already fast asleep. He tells Sasuke to strip and settle himself in one of the wooden barrels — showers are not yet a thing in this time period, which Sasuke really hates — while he fetches water for him to use from the well. Sasuke does as he says and doesn’t think much of it until Tobirama returns and pulls a stool for him to sit on behind Sasuke, rolling the sleeves of his clothes up. Tobirama bathing Sasuke himself is the last thing he expected when the older said he’d run him a bath, and he almost protests, but then Tobirama rests a cool hand on Sasuke’s shoulder, pours water over his body to get him a bit wet, and the feeling of the cold water is so refreshing that Sasuke ends up not saying a thing. He’s ridiculously tired anyway, and he has a feeling Tobirama won’t take no for an answer. 

“How was your trip?” Tobirama asks, briefly standing up to go search for the soap and shampoo. 

“It was fine.” Sasuke answers. “Good, actually. They’re all doing well, not that I thought they wouldn’t.” he adds. 

Tobirama hums as he comes back with the shampoo and soap in hand, setting down the former. Sasuke’s about to get the bar of soap from him, but Tobirama catches his arm and starts lathering it with soap, slowly making his way to the rest of his body. When Tobirama straightens Sasuke’s body up so he can soap the rest of his body — from his torso to his back, then moving to his leg and gently touching him there, because that’s where his only injury is, shallow but fresh — Sasuke can’t help but shiver a little. 

“Does it hurt?” Tobirama asks. 

“Just a bit.” Sasuke admits. “But it’s not a big deal. I think it’ll heal soon.”

Tobirama nods and then proceeds to shampoo his hair. Sasuke can’t help but loosen up under Tobirama’s hold, suddenly hyper-aware of the way the older’s fingers feel against his skull. He didn’t even know he was so sensitive in that area. Then again, no one’s ever touched him like this before. 

Sasuke thinks this entire affair is too intimate, which says a lot, because they’ve already had sex before. But that was when Tobirama was a client and Sasuke a courtesan. They haven’t pulled anything like that, even on their wedding night. He thought Tobirama would make the first move at some point, but he hadn’t. Sasuke suspects it’s because he wants Sasuke to take initiative himself for that certain part. It’s not like Sasuke can’t do it, or would particularly hate it, but he doesn’t have strong sexual urges in the first place, unlike many of his peers, so not getting laid isn’t that much of a problem for him. Until now, he wonders if he’s giving Tobirama blue balls for not putting out, but Tobirama hasn’t said a word about it once, and Sasuke thinks the fact that he generally has so much work means that it’s an issue he can push aside without much difficulty.

He doesn’t even notice how all the joints that were slowly loosening have tightened up once again in tension until Tobirama’s hands rest on his shoulders. It occurs to Sasuke that he’s already been washed, likely while he was lost in thought, but it registers only distantly, because his focus is completely directed on how _large_ Tobirama’s hands are, easily covering the entirety of his shoulders, making Sasuke appear small. 

Sasuke looks up to meet Tobirama’s face. He’s wearing a gentle expression that makes something in Sasuke twist, but not in a bad way. 

“Relax.” Tobirama says quietly, and Sasuke can’t help but gulp, though he follows and tries to relax. When Tobirama pulls away, Sasuke has the sudden urge to turn back just to see his face once more. 

Tobirama helps him dry up, this time a lot less intimate and caring, because he just tosses the towel Sasuke’s way. He appreciates it, not that he didn’t like the tender way Tobirama treated him during the bath. It’s just . . . strange. Something Sasuke isn’t used to. That was more than enough for the night, and he thinks Tobirama knows this. 

“Thanks.” Sasuke says lowly. 

Tobirama smiles at him softly. Sasuke’s breath hitches ever so slightly. “You’re welcome.” 

Something clicks in Sasuke, as he looks at his husband with the sudden urge to do _something_ that involves touching him again. He leans forward until his face is only inches away from Tobirama’s, and the latter simply looks at him with a question in his eyes, though he doesn’t close the distance between them. 

A beat later, and Sasuke pulls away. He expects to see disappointment flash through Tobirama, but there’s none of them, just an amused look. Sasuke, for once, doesn’t feel exasperated at the expression. He turns to leave the bathroom to get dressed. 

In the bedroom, where they’re already both in their sleepwear, Tobirama fiddles with the light, making Sasuke reminiscent of the first time he met him. He knows they’re supposed to sleep, but he doesn’t feel like going to bed just yet. Instead, he makes his way to the doors and slides them open. Sasuke can feel the material of the bandage wrapped around his leg rather acutely, but under the soft wind that breezes past him, he immediately forgets about it. Sasuke takes a step forward. 

Tobirama looks up. “Where are you going?”

“Outside.” Sasuke says. Before Tobirama can protest, he adds, “I’m not going to do anything. I just want to look at the sky.”

“You always do.” Tobirama notes, but it’s not accusing. “Why do you love it so much?”

“It’s interesting.” he answers without much thought. “It looks the same as it does back in my real time.” 

Tobirama is quiet for a few seconds before asking, “Are you homesick?”

Homesick, as in, _do you miss the place you came from?_

Sasuke doesn’t say anything. He used to think so. The littlest things would remind him of his time, of the _people_ in his time, and he was someone who could never be held back by anything, so he thought it meant something, for him to still reminisce about them. 

But those have always been fleeting, in the end, and he’s been in this era for more than a year. Things have changed. The thought doesn’t seem as true as he once believed. You can miss something and it wouldn’t really mean anything. You can miss something but not want to go back to it. 

“That place would have to be home for me to be homesick.” Sasuke eventually says, standing up and making his way to the door. It’s a half moon tonight. “And that place isn’t home. Not really anyway.”

“Where is home then, for you?”

Maybe it’s the brothel. Maybe it’s Team 7. Maybe it’s buried six deep underground and almost a century into the future with his dead brother and parents. Maybe it’s in everyone’s dreams and hopes for peace. Maybe it’s in the formation of a village, the beginning of a new dawn filled with more happiness and less grief. Maybe it’s staying inches away from someone’s face, knowing that you’re close enough to touch but choosing not to do so, because it’s somehow enough to just know that you have a choice. 

“Who knows,” Sasuke simply says. He used to think that he’d never be lucky enough to truly have a home, not when life became the way it was. Now though, he’s uncertain, but he thinks he can live with that uncertainty. He gives Tobirama a side glance. “Are you coming or not?”

There isn’t a response to that, but he feels the other shift closer, his hand brushing against his own tentatively. For the first time, he returns the gesture, and grasps the hand loosely but with care. 

It’s more than enough.

**Author's Note:**

> congrats if you've made it to the end of this fic. thank you so much for reading, and feel free to point out any errors i've made throughout the story! (but nicely pls huhu)
> 
> as per usual, i'd appreciate it if you leave a kudos or a comment! my [tumblr](https://softpunks.tumblr.com/) and [cc](https://curiouscat.me/inarizakicks) are also open in case you wanna chat :>


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